


defiance

by keenwonderlandcollector



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Avengers: Endgame, The Avengers: Infinity War - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Romance, Smut, Starker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:46:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 45
Words: 63,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27286642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keenwonderlandcollector/pseuds/keenwonderlandcollector
Summary: A journey through the MCU with Peter Parker in the place of Pepper Potts..
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 325
Kudos: 465





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> So I had a ton of different ideas floating around my mind for my next fic, and couldn't decide which one I really wanted to start, so I didn't start any of them! 🤦
> 
> Instead, a whole other idea came to me last night when I decided to watch, would you believe, Iron Man (for the hundreth time). Basically, I was watching it and I kept thinking that it could be really great if Peter was Tony's assistant, and then I was like okay, gotta write it 😂 
> 
> This fic is basically the first Iron Man film with Peter in Pepper's role, he's about 24 on this, while Tony is 38. I've made some adjustments because obviously, I don't just want to quote the script word-for-word, but I hope I've been able to adapt it to fit a Starker narrative.
> 
> Finally, enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you thought down below! ❤️

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's world turns upside down..

"Goodnight Charlie, see you tomorrow." Peter smiled, giving a quick wave to the guard as he left the office building, heading over to his car. 

Despite his confidence that he'd completed his work for the day, and the fact that he knew he should just go home and fall into bed, Peter still felt like there was something he'd missed. 

Brushing it off before he could linger on it, Peter flicked on the lights, the road illuminated before him as he began his journey home. Thankfully he'd missed the main evening rush, humming along the radio as he drove, his fingers lightly tapping against the wheel. 

Just as a good song was starting and he was getting ready to belt it out, the music was cut off as Pepper's name flashed up on his phone screen. Frowning, Peter quickly accepted the call, the blonde sounding concerned. 

"Peter? Are you already on your way home?" 

"Hey, Pepper," An uneasiness settled in Peter's stomach as he kept his eyes on the road, fingers tightening on the wheel. "I just left about ten minutes ago. Did I forget something?" 

"No, no you didn't," Peter took a breath, his stomach clenching as he listened to Pepper. "but I need you to come to the house right now."

"Is everything okay?" Peter clicked on the indicator, pulling into an illuminated gas station and parking up. 

"I'll explain when you get here, see you soon." 

With that, the call ended and the music resumed. Peter quickly turned it off, running a hand through his hair as he ran through a million scenarios in his head, trying not to think about any of them too much. 

The drive to Tony's mansion seemed to take an age, despite the quieter roads. Pepper was always to the point, she very rarely didn't tell Peter something. She was the Director of Communications, it was her _job_ to be clear and concise, so it always worried Peter when she withheld something from him. 

When he eventually arrived at the house, he took a deep breath before heading inside, trying to stay positive. 

"Good evening, Mr. Parker." 

JARVIS greeted him as usual, adding some sense of normality to the situation, if only slightly. 

"Hey, Jarv. Do you know what's going on?" Peter asked, walking down the hall. 

"Ms. Potts and Mr. Stane are waiting for you in the living room, they will inform you of the current situation."

With a nod, Peter made his way through the house, walking into the living room and finding Pepper and Obadiah sitting on the couch talking quietly. They both looked up as he walked in, Pepper offering him a small smile that did little to ease Peter's worry. 

"Peter," Obadiah stood, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "glad you're here. Drink?" 

"No, thank you." Peter watched as the older man made his way over to the bar, Pepper gently patting the couch. 

"What's going on?" He asked quietly, sitting down beside Pepper, the blonde letting out a quiet sigh before looking over to Obadiah, who was walking back over to them, drink in hand. 

"It's Tony," Pepper started, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "he was due to do the presentation today, as you know, and—" 

"Don't tell he didn't show up," Peter sighed, his worry easing slightly and shifting to annoyance. "I told him after wha—" 

"Peter," Obadiah held his hand up, walking closer to them and setting his glass down on the coffee table. "it's not that."

"Then what is it?" Peter looked between the two people in his room, willing them to just tell him what was happening. 

"Tony's missing."

3 YEARS EARLIER 

"Mr. Parker? Sorry to keep you waiting," The elegant blonde smiled, her heels clicking on the floor as she made her way over to him, smoothing out her immaculate grey dress. "I'm Pepper Potts, I'll be conducting your interview today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Potts." Peter smiled, pushing down his nerves as he stood, gently shaking the woman's hand. 

"Pepper, please," She smiled, waving her hand. "follow me, my office is just down the hall.

Various suited, official looking people passed them by as Pepper led him down the hall, Peter feeling slightly undressed in his Target black dress pants and white shirt, quickly smoothing down his hair. The building itself had been intimidating when Peter had arrived, the epitome of sleek and modern design, like a beautiful dollhouse for beautiful people to play in. 

"Apologies for the mess," Pepper opened the door to her office, the large space covered in various boxes and ladders, clearly undergoing renovations, but it still looked immaculately organised. "I'm still moving in, I was actually Tony's PA myself before becoming-" 

"Director of communications," Peter smiled, following the blonde over to the sleek metal desk. "your career has been a huge inspiration to me. I can only hope to achieve your level of success one day."

"Well let's see how today goes first, shall we?" Pepper gestured to the chair in front of the desk before slipping into the seat behind it, Peter noticing the small smile on the woman's face. 

"So according to your resume," Pepper looked over to the large computer sitting on the desk, scrolling slightly. "you graduated from Berkeley last May with a degree in Business Administration," The blonde arched a delicate brow, glancing over at Peter. 

"Yes, Miss Potts." Peter nodded. Pepper smiled slightly, and Peter felt relieved that his instinct to use her formal name paid off, having assumed it to be a test when she'd mentioned it earlier. 

"Summa cum laude, very impressive." The blonde looked back to the screen, nodding slightly. 

"Thank you, ma'am," Peter smiled softly. "It was hard work, but nothing I couldn't handle, and was thoroughly rewarding."

"And until recently you were working as an office administrator at a non-profit, that was a step down from your previous position, no?” Pepper sat back in her chair, looking over at Peter.

He’d suspected it would come up, forcing himself to smile as he sat up slightly.

“Working with Mr. Edwards was a great..” Peter took a moment to consider his words, adjusting his glasses slightly as Pepper studied him intently. “ _learning experience_ , and when my employment with him came to its conclusion I decided to branch out in my career. Working at Hydrowave has been incredible, and I feel that the skills I’ve learned there will only be a major asset going forward.” 

“I see, and-”

“There you are, I was looking for you.” A voice sounded behind them, Pepper looking over Peter’s shoulder in annoyance as Peter took a breath.

“I’m _busy_ , Tony,” The blonde sighed, looking over to the man as he walked over to the desk, typing on his phone. “you’ll have to wait.”

Even though Peter was interviewing to be Tony Stark’s assistant, it was still surreal to see the man up close, he was so much more handsome than he was on TV and in photos. But, Peter quickly pushed down the thought trying to present himself as a competent _professional_. 

“What’s your name, kid?” Tony didn’t look up from his phone, fingers sweeping over the keyboard. Pepper lightly tapped her nails against the desk, pursing her lips.

“Peter Parker,” Peter took a breath, looking over the man, his breath hitching in his throat slightly as Tony met his gaze. “sir.”

“See you Monday, Peter Parker.”

“Tony,” Pepper sighed, looking over at the man, who went back to his phone. “Mr. Parker hasn’t finished his interview, and I still have other candidates waiting.”

“No need,” Tony waved a hand, leaning his hip against the desk. “I want him, he’s hired.”

Peter was relieved neither of the other two people in the room were looking at him, his flushed expression not helping his _‘trying to be a professional’_ goal.

“Welcome aboard, kid,” Tony gave him a nod before going to walk out of the room. “Pepper come find me when you’re done.”

“Well,” Pepper kept her eyes on the door for a moment before letting her gaze fall to Peter, his heart in his throat. “that settles that, I suppose.”

“Miss Potts, I don’t want to get this job for any unscr-” Peter began, his professional instincts kicking back in despite his desire to run out before she could change her mind.

“Peter,” She smiled, sitting up in her chair. “you’re by far the best candidate I’ve seen, and it doesn’t hurt to be approved by the boss, unprofessional as he may be at times.” 

“Thank you, Miss Potts, I won’t disappoint you.” Peter smiled, relief and excitement flooding him.

“I’m sure you won’t,” The blonde arched a brow, glancing over to the computer screen. “we’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Parker. I’ll be in touch in the meantime, and if you have any questions please feel free to let me know. I _have_ been in your shoes.”

“Of course, thank you again.” Peter hoped he wasn’t grinning like a maniac, trying to keep his smile at a normal level. 

“Alright, you’re free to go,” Pepper nodded, standing up and smoothing out her dress as Peter stood, his legs feeling like jelly as he went to walk away, trying not to skip out of the room. 

“Oh, before you go?” 

“Yes?” Peter turned back around, his stomach fluttering. 

“Well done for the Edwards answer,” Pepper smiled, folding her arms. “I’ve had the displeasure of meeting him several times, and have known many of his PA’s. Tony is a _breeze_ compared to him.”

“Good to know,” Peter nodded, smiling softly. “I look forward to finding out.”

-

“So how did it go?” 

“Well I was _really_ nervous,” Peter made his way down the bus, sliding into an empty seat, glancing out the window as he held the phone against his ear. “but I think it went okay.”

“That’s good!” May sounded encouraging, as she always did, Peter smiling to himself. “but just remember if you don’t get it, there’s plenty of other companies that would be lucky to have you.”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, the bus rumbling down the road. “but they’ll have to wait because I got it.”

“Oh my god!” May gasped, and Peter tried not to laugh, biting his lip. “that’s amazing! I’m so proud of you Pete.”

“Thank you, I’m so excited, I think it’s gonna be great.” Peter grinned, sitting back in his seat and watching the world go by.

  
PRESENT (36 Hours Previously) 

“Good morning,” Peter smiled politely, draping the dry cleaning bag over his arm. “don’t worry about JARVIS, he’s harmless.” 

  
“You must be Peter Parker.” The blonde woman standing in the living room raised an eyebrow at him, folding her arms. 

“I was the last time I checked,” Peter nodded, unphased. “Your clothes have been dry-cleaned, and there’s a car waiting for you outside, just tell the driver where you want to go.”

“Still on dry-cleaning duty then,” The blonde smirked, tilting her head slightly. “Shame.”

“If Mr. Stark requires me to perform a task then that’s what I’m going to do, whether it be picking up the dry cleaning or, on occasion, taking out the trash.” Peter smiled. “Will there be anything else, Miss Everheart?” 

-

“No, he’s here,” Peter sighed, keying in the security code and entering the workshop. “I got it, bye.”

“Did you turn my music down?” Tony frowned, keeping his eyes on the roadster he was working on as Peter hung up his phone.

“Did _you_ get the _many_ messages I sent you?” Peter sighed, tapping his fingers against the file he was holding in his arm. “You needed to be on that plane an hour and a half ago.”

“Well actually,” Tony started, and Peter raised an eyebrow, trying not to roll his eyes. “one of the perks of having your own plane is that it just waits for you. Or it should.” 

“Before I get you out of here I need to talk to you about a couple of things,” Peter looked down at the file in his arm as Tony continued to tinker. “for one th-”

“It didn’t leave without me, did it?” Tony asked, turning back to Peter,w recnh in hnd. “because that would just be unprofessional, and I won’t have it.”

“The gallery called,” Peter lightly tapped his foot against the ground, a habit he’d picked up lately. “they have another buyer for the Pollock so I need a yes or a no from you.”

“Is it a good representation of his spring period?” Tony asked, grabbing a rag and wiping his hands. 

“No, you don't understand," Peter raised an eyebrow. "The Springs was a neighbourhood, it’s where he lived and-”

“So?” Tony stood up, tossing the rag aside and folding his arms.

“ _So_ it’s not _‘Spring’_ like the season. Personally, I think it's ridiculously overpriced.” Peter shrugged. He could afford six months rent for the price of that one painting. 

“That settles it then,” Tony smirked. “Buy it. Store it.”

“Fine,” Peter nodded, checking it off the list. “The commencement speech at MIT is-”

“Is in June,” Tony raised an eyebrow, walking past Peter, leaving the younger man to follow him. “you need to live in the present, Parker, stop zooming ahead.”

“That’s not possible with this job,” Peter sighed. “I’m giving them a yes. Now, I need you to sign this before you go.”

“You’re keen to get rid of me,” Tony turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “what’s that about?”

“I have plans tonight.” Peter explained. Plans which he was about to be late for if he couldn’t get Tony on the damn plane.

“Really? I always imagined you spent your evenings sitting around and waiting for my call.” Tony smirked, accepting the paper from Peter and gesturing for his pen.

“Well seeing as it’s my birthday, I thought I might take a night off from that.” Peter smiled, taking the paper back from Tony, the older man keeping the pen. 

“That’s today?”

“Yeah, same as it was last year, and so on.” 

“Mm, well,” Tony tucked the pen into his pocket. “treat yourself to something nice from me.”

“Oh I will,” Peter smirked, raising an eyebrow. “thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Don’t mention it, Mr. Parker,” Tony smiled, his eyes lingering on Peter for a moment. “So the plane’s there?”

“Yes, please get on it.” Peter sighed, gesturing towards the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Missing?” Peter repeated, trying to process the information. 

“I’m afraid so,” Pepper nodded. “we haven’t been able to contact him.”

“Is there any information at all? Does Rhodey know anything?” Peter asked, looking over to Obadiah, the older man shaking his head.

“Nothing.”

From the corner of his eye, Peter could’ve sworn he noticed Pepper looking over at Obadiah with a frown, pushing the thought away as he ran a hand through his hair. Tony had gone _‘missing’_ before, inevitably showing up looking a little worse for wear and reeking of expensive champagne and cheap perfume. 

But this..this was different. This was _serious_ , and Peter had no idea what to do.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months is a long time, but Peter won't give up hope.

Peter misses Tony every single day. He worries about Tony every single day.

Peter gets up every morning and remembers that Tony isn't going to be there when he gets to work. He's not going to be at his home, or his workshop or his office.

Everyone soon gets back to normal, and in a way, Peter does too. He goes to work, mostly assisting Pepper and occasionally Obadiah. They talk about board meetings, the weather, last night's TV. They pretend to laugh at stupid jokes, made to try and distract them but only reminding them of what they're missing.

Peter goes to Tony's home to water the plants, collect the decreasing amount of mail and to check in on JARVIS. He knows it's silly, to think that an AI could feel _sad_ , but he just knows JARVIS is missing Tony too.

Sometimes, when Pepper comes with him to the house, they'll have a silent cup of coffee together. Other times she invites Peter over to dinner, always giving him a couple of tupperware meals to take home, reminding him to eat. In a way, Peter envies her. She has Happy, they have each other.

Peter doesn't really have anyone, his job keeping his social life fairly limited and the three people he's closest to being all the way back in New York. He calls when he can, and they keep in touch fairly regularly, but it's not the same.

Some nights, when Happy and Pepper go home and Peter is alone in the house, he'll go down to the workshop and lay down on the couch, letting the tears fall as sleep claims him.

Peter admires Obadiah, how the man is able to keep things running smoothly in Tony's absence. It was difficult enough putting on a brave face at the office, he couldn't imagine having to do it for the public too. Nobody is interested in him, and he's fine with that. Obadiah and Pepper keep things steady, and Peter is perfectly content to stay behind the scenes. Obadiah reassures Peter that things will be okay, and Peter desperately wants to believe him, _needs_ to believe him.

Some days are better than others, but none of them are _good_. Peter had, briefly, thought at one point that maybe he'd accept the possibility of Tony being..no, he couldn't do it. Refused to even think about it.

Others do. He hears rumours, knows people are sceptical. He's walked out of a few rooms, walked away from a few conversations. Tony is many things, Peter knows all too well, but above all else his boss is resilient.

Tony had mastered deflection, mainly by shielding himself with those that would take the hit for him, but when push came to shove he was more than capable of handling any situation.

The news channels are constantly playing at the office, despite the fact that they haven't released any new information. It just happened one day, and nobody did anything about it.

When Peter goes to his apartment, he only grabs some clean clothes and checks his miniscule amount of mail before going to Tony's. He never loses hope that the door will open, and it'll be who he wants walking through it.

Most nights he falls asleep on the couch, waking up in the dark convinced he's heard a car pulling up. It never does, and he lays awake staring at the ceiling, running through every memory, good and bad.

He wants them all back, wants more to be added. He wants to roll his eyes as Tony takes three hours to choose a tie, he wants to feel the smile tugging at his lips whenever Tony catches his eye during a speech, he wants to be _needed._

Because that’s the thing, he can go to work every day and do what he’s supposed to do, but he knows deep down that he’s in a precarious situation. He almost expects to be gently told he’s been let go every day, that he’s not needed anymore. It would be fair, he knows that. How can he be an assistant to someone who isn’t there? It isn’t as if he won’t get another job, he’s more than qualified, particularly with three years of running Tony Stark’s affairs under his belt. But he doesn’t _want_ another job, he doesn’t want to believe he’ll need one.

The uncertainty is what really gets to Peter. He’s always up to date on everything, in the loop about anything and everything happening in Tony’s life. 

To not know anything, not be able to do anything to help, it crushes him. As the weeks go by, he notices others lose that sentiment. He doesn’t, refuses to. He’ll carry the guilt, knowing the futility of it.

It’s a familiar situation to Peter, in a way. He’s lost people before, but that was so final. He had no choice but to accept that it had happened, and try to move on with his life. He did, in time, as well as he could. 

But he couldn’t, refused to, move on from Tony. Not until he knew for sure. Maybe not even then.

Rhodey gave as many updates as he could, though there was never much to report on. Peter grew to yearn for and dread every update, just wanting to know _anything_.

Then, finally, after the longest three months of his life, Peter finally hears what he’s been so desperate to.

Tony is coming home, he’s safe.

-

Happy drives them to the airbase, Peter and Pepper gently squeezing each other’s hands as they arrive. 

Peter’s heart is in his throat as he stands in front of the car, a nervous smile tugging at his lips as he watches the plane come in to land. He quickly adjusts his glasses slightly before smoothing down his shirt, watching as the doors slowly lowered on the plane. 

And there he was, looking a little worse for wear, but _there_.

Peter doesn’t fight the smile that sweeps across his face as he watches Rhodey and Tony walk down from the plane and across the concrete, biting his lip softly as Tony brushes off the stretcher. 

Some things never change.

“Steady, Parker,” Tony raises an eyebrow as he approaches Peter “no need for tears.”

“Happy tears,” Peter smiles, rolling his eyes ever so slightly. “job hunting is a bitch.”

“Well I hope you’re still for this job, you’ve had three months of sitting around, come on.”

Peter simply nods, smiling to himself as he turns and watches Tony get into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was really interesting to write as in the film, we obviously follow Tony for the three months he's in the cave, but we don't really know what Pepper, or in this case Peter, was doing, what it was like.
> 
> Hopefully it's enjoyable, it's really fun reimagining the Iron Man story through the lens of Starker 😄❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/comments/bookmarked the lasr chapter, it's very much appreciated and made my day 🥰
> 
> P.S, Happy Halloween! Due to current circumstances I'm celebrating the occasion by drinking copious amount of wine and watching campy 90s movies (Addams Family Values all the way), what about you guys? 🎃😀


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wasn't sure what to expect when Tony returned, but Tony never fails to surprise him.

“ _No_. Absolutely not.”

“Pepper’s right, Tony, we need to take you to the hospital.”

“Hogan, please ignore your darling wife and Mr. Parker. Burger first, let’s go.”

-

“Look who’s here! I thought we were meeting at the hospital, Tony.” Obadiah threw a look over his shoulder at Peter and Pepper, the brunette raising an eyebrow and the blonde giving her best _‘don’t ask’_ look.

“I had other priorities.” Tony shrugged, taking a bite of his burger.

Pepper gave Peter a quick nod before going ahead to set things up, Obadiah leading Tony inside and Peter following after them, an unease growing in his stomach.

Peter stood at the back of the room while Pepper talked to a couple of reporters at the front. Obadiah and Tony stood by the stage, talking intensely about something. Before Peter could read into too much, he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to find an official looking man standing beside him, holding out his hand. 

“Mr. Parker?”

“Yes,” Peter nodded, shaking the man’s hand. “that’s me.”

“Could I speak to you for a moment?” The man asked as Peter quickly glanced back to the stage. Pepper was stood back from the podium, Obadiah stood in front of it. He couldn’t quite see Tony, frowning slightly.

“Oh I’m not part of the conference, I’m afraid,” Peter turned back to the man, adjusting his glasses slightly. “but it’s about to start, so.”

“Nor am I, Mr. Parker,” The man smiled, reaching into his suit pocket and handing Peter a card. “I’m Agent Phil Coulson, of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

“I see,” Peter raised an eyebrow, examining the card in his hand before slipping into his pocket. “that’s uh, quite the title.”

“So I’ve been told,” Agent Coulson nodded. “we’re looking into it.”

“Well, Agent Coulson,” Peter explained. “we’ve already been approached by the FBI, DOD and the CIA.”

“We’re an independent body. We’ll need to speak with Mr. Stark regarding his escape.” The man smiled.

“I’ll pencil you in, Agent Coulson.” Peter smiled politely, glancing over to the stage.

“Much obliged, Mr. Parker.”

Obadiah started the conference, or at least, attempted to, looking down in front of the podium. Peter shifted slightly in his spot, his gaze falling on Tony, sitting down in front of the podium, burger in hand. It certainly wasn’t the strangest thing Peter had ever seen Tony do, but under the current circumstances he wasn’t optimistic.

When Tony called for everyone to sit down, Peter followed suit, slowly lowering himself to the ground and sitting as elegantly as he possibly can.

“Is he really doing this?”

Peter glanced over to see Rhodey beside him, the man’s face etched with concern and confusion.

“I think he might just be.” Peter sighed, looking back to the stage. He watched as Tony talked about his father, about his experience. For a brief moment, the older man’s eyes catch Peter’s, and the brunette forgets about everyone else in the room.

It was only when Tony stood at the podium and announced that he was shutting down the company's weapons manufacturing division that Peter was thrust back into reality, his mind instantly flicking back to ‘work’ mode. 

The reporters flew into a frenzy of camera flashes and hurried questions, Tony continuing to talk while Obadiah stepped in and took control. 

Peter caught Tony’s eye as the man walked towards him, mouthing a quick _‘stay here’_ as Peter went to follow him.

“As Mr. Stane has stated,” Pepper’s voice sounded, Peter reluctantly turning back to the stage. “this will be resolved internally, and we will be releasing our statement in due course. Thank you.”

The blonde left the stage, walking towards Peter and gesturing for him to follow her, the two of them leaving the building, a silence descending as they made their way across the car park.

“So, that was..” Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Pepper. “interesting.”

“I’ve known Tony for a long time, and yet he still never fails to surprise me.” Pepper sounded weary, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Do you think he’s serious?” Peter asked, slowing down as they approached their cars. 

“Well, you know what Tony’s like,” Pepper turned to Peter, raising an eyebrow. “once he gets an idea in his head it's hard to sway him. But this..Obadiah’s hopefully going to talk some sense into him, and in the meantime all we can do is carry on as usual.”

“Alright,” Peter nodded, running a hand through his curls. “I’ll see you later, Pep.”

“Bye, Pete.” Pepper gave his arm a quick squeeze before heading over to her car, her heels on the concrete the only sound as Peter dug out his car keys.

Once he was sitting in the car, he took a breath before starting it up. He reached into his pocket, looking at the card Agent Coulson had given him and lightly tapping it against his leg before driving off.

-

“Morning, JARVIS.” Peter called, setting his tablet and stack of files down on the hall table before closing the door behind him, adjusting the dry cleaning bag on his arm.

“Good Morning, Mr. Parker. Mr. Stark is downstairs at present, he does not wish to be disturbed.” The AI helpfully supplied. Too many times Peter had walked in on something he _really_ didn’t need to see. 

“Thanks, Jarv.” Peter smiled, gathering up his things and heading into the quiet living room. He set his things up on the coffee table, taking a breath and heading down the hall.

Tony’s bed was empty, as it had been since his return. Not that it _mattered_ , Peter quickly reminded himself, though it did make a nice change of pace to be hanging up Tony’s own clothes as opposed to handing over some flimsy slip of material to whoever had slunk out of the bed on any given morning.

Returning to the living room, Peter threw on ‘Mad Money’ before getting to work. He looked up occasionally, wincing at the dramatics of the show, though he knew there was a point to it, he couldn’t deny that. 

“Peter?” Tony’s voice was slightly crackly over the intercom. “what’s your hand size?”

“What’s my..” Peter frowned, quickly turning down the volume of the rambling newscaster. “what are you talking about?”

“Just get down here, I need you for something.”

-

Walking down the stairs, Peter adjusted his glasses, trying and failing to think of any reason Tony would need to know his hand size, of all things. It didn’t clear matters up when he entered the workshop, finding Tony laid out on a chair, shirtless.

“There you are, let me see your hands.” 

Peter held up his hands, Tony’s eyes falling on them.

“Perfect, they’ll do.” Tony nodded, Peter raising an eyebrow.

“Do for what, exactly?” Peter asked, lowering his hands and walking over to his boss.

“I just need your help, it’ll take two seconds.” 

Peter had heard that before, never liking the end result.

“Is that..” Peter gasped slightly as he approached Tony, his gaze falling to the older man’s chest, to the strange device lodged in it. “is that what’s been keeping you alive?”

“Exactly, _been_. It’s reached antiquity,” Tony explained, holding up the glowing device in his hand. “so I’m making an upgrade. I was swapping it in and hit a little..bump in the road.”

“ _Bump?_ What kind of bump?” Peter asked, folding his arms.

“It’s not a big deal, it’s just a wire that’s been exposed under _here_ ,” Tony pulled out the device, Peter wincing slightly, taking a step back. “and it’s touching off the wall of the socket and shorting out, it’s okay, we got this.” He handed the device to Peter, who took it cautiously, as though it would burn him.

“What should I do?” Peter asked, looking over at Tony.

“Leave that on the table, that’s gone.” The older man waved a hand as Peter turned, gently setting down the device on the surface and letting out a breath before turning back.

“Now, all I need you to do is just reach in, and very gently take out the wire.” Tony had requested many things throughout Peter’s time working for him, but this was a whole other level.

“Is it..can I do that? Will it hurt you?” Peter asked, trying to keep himself calm as best he could.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony reassured him. “think of it like Operation, just take it out slowly and don’t touch the wall or else you’ll get the ‘ _beep’_ and we don’t want that.”

“Operation?” Peter sighed. “Tony, this is _nothing_ like operation. That’s a _game_ , this is serious.”

“You know what I mean, just be gentle.” 

“Alright.” Peter nodded, moving in closer and reaching his hands towards Tony’s chest. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Tony nodded.

“You know what?” Peter looked over at the older man, letting out a shaky breath. “this takes someone much more qualified than me, I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can,” Tony held his gaze, his eyes sincere. “I trust you, I’m literally trusting you with my life right now. You’re more than qualified to do anything you set your mind to, and you’re the most capable person I’ve ever met,” He paused, his eyes searching Peter’s. “you can do this, I need you to. Killing your boss isn’t gonna look good on your resume.”

“Alright, okay.” Peter nodded, taking a deep breath and slowly sliding his hand inside the hole in Tony’s chest, a disgusting ooze coating his fingers. “Oh my god, what is _that?_ It’s all _slimy!_ ”

“That’s not me from me, it’s from the device, don’t worry about it.” Tony looked up, his fists clenched as Peter wrinkled his nose.

“Jesus, Tony, it _stinks_.” 

“I know,” The older man nodded, glancing down to his chest. “remember, it’s the copper wire, did you get it?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, grasping it in his fingers. “I have it.”

“You have it? Alright, now don’t let it touch the-”

A buzzing noise sounded, Peter wincing as Tony let out a gasp.

“Oh god, I’m sorry, _fuck_.” Peter felt panic encroaching on him, he knew he shouldn’t have agreed to doing it in the first place.

“..sides, when you take it out, that’s what I was telling you. Now when you take it out don’t-” Tony began, Peter’s nerves causing him to tug harder, the medical equipment surrounding them began to frantically beep. “pull out the magnet, which you just did.”

“Oh my _god_ , what do I do now?” Peter asked, looking at the wire in his hands, the magnet at the end of it dripping. 

“Just set it down over there, don’t put it back in whatever you do.” Tony looked pale, Peter quickly setting the magnet down beside the reactor and turning back to his boss.

“Tony? What’s happening?”

“Oh nothing, just going into cardiac arrest because you-”

“You told me this was _safe_!” Peter snapped, panic gripping his entire body.

“Well, I didn’t think you were gonna be all ham-fisted and..okay, take this, come on,” Tony sighed, handing Peter the device in his hand. “We need to be quick. Switch it out, right now, let’s go.”

“Okay,” Peter nodded, taking a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Tony, this is going to be okay, you’re going to be okay.”

“Sure about that?” Tony asked, and Peter felt a steely determination sink in.

“I promise, I got this.” 

“Alright,” Tony nodded. “I need you to attach that to the base plate and-”

The older man let out a shout as Peter desperately worked to get the device attached.

“See? That wasn’t so difficult,” Tony smiled, Peter feeling a flood relief that threatened to knock him to knock him to the ground. “I got it, good job.”

“Is it done? Are you alright?” Peter asked, looking over at his boss attaching the device.

“Better than ever,” Tony grinned, Peter letting out a breath as the older man laughed. “are you? You okay?”

“I would do anything for you,” Peter smiled, glancing down at his slimy hands. “but if you _ever_ ask me to do anything like _that_ again, I’m quitting.” 

“Well I don’t have anyone else to ask.” Tony looked over at him, and Peter felt a small tingle in his spine.

“Sure you do, what about-”

“Just you, Peter.” Tony held his gaze for a moment, before looking away and peeling off the wires attached to him. 

Peter turned away, his eyes falling on the old reactor laying on the table, gently picking it up and turning back around.

“What should I do with this?”

“Burn it, break it, take it to Hawaii and throw it in a volcano.” Tony sighed, grabbing his shirt from the bench.

“Are you sure you don’t want to keep it?” Peter asked, looking down at the device in his hand before glancing back up at Tony.

“Peter, you’ve known me long enough to know that _‘nostalgic’_ isn’t exactly a trait of mine.” Tony raised an eyebrow, tossing his shirt onto the chair.

“Very well,” Peter nodded. “is there anything else you need, Mr. Stark?” 

“No, thank you Mr. Parker.” Tony turned his attention to Dum-E, talking to the robot as Peter went to leave, smiling down at the reactor in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That reactor changing scene in the film always sets my teeth on edge, I'm the most squeamish person ever😂🙈 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know, I love hearing from you 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left feedback on the last chapter, you're a bunch of absolute dotes ❤️❤️


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter can't help worrying about Tony under the best of circumstances, and this is no exception.

“I know, I've just been really busy with..” Peter closed the front door behind him, heading into the living room and nodding gently as he placed the files in his hand on the coffee table before moving to the bedroom.

“Yeah, he's..he's okay, he will be.” The brunette sighed, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he hung up the dry cleaning. "Oh, yeah, I was talking to them..two weeks ago? I think. We're all just..busy and,” A guilt settled over him as he listened, making a mental note to text MJ and Ned. “mmhm, I get that, but..even so. He needs me.”

Heading to the kitchen, Peter went to put on a pot of coffee, running a hand over his face. “Alright, I'll talk to you later. You too, May. Bye.” 

Clicking off the call, Peter leaned against the counter as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, lightly tapping his phone against his leg.

“What are you doing here?” Tony frowned, looking over to Peter as the brunette walked into the workshop.

"Good morning to you too.” Peter smiled, walking over to where Tony was sitting and setting a cup of coffee down in front of him.

"I thought I told you to-"

"To work from the office today," Peter nodded, walking over to the cluttered bench by the door and setting down a couple of the papers in his hand, taking out his phone. "and I'm going there now, I just had some things to do here first, so”

“Can't stay away from me, Parker?” Peter could feel the smirk in his boss’s voice, rolling his eyes softly.

“So you can get back to whatever you're up to, I'm not sure I even want to know.” Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Tony, who sat back in his chair, resting his hands above his head.

“You might like it.”

“Bye Tony.” The brunette waved as he walked out the door, a smile on his lips.

-

“Busy?”

“Hey,” Peter smiled, looking up from the computer and seeing Pepper standing in the doorway, a brown paper bag in her hand. “come in.”

“As my darling husband is busy, I thought you might be my lunch date.” The blonde smiled, walking over to the desk and setting the bag down, slipping into the empty chair across from Peter.

“You mean I’m not your _first_ choice?” The brunette held a hand over his chest, a disappointed look on his face.

“Of course you are sweetheart.” Pepper smiled, reaching into the bag and taking out a salad, handing it over to Peter before taking out one for herself.

“How’s your morning been?” Peter asked, accepting the fork Pepper gave him, peeling the lid of the salad.

“Hectic,” The blonde raised an eyebrow, moving her chair closer. “everyone from Autoweek to Vanity Fair wants to know what’s going on with Tony. It doesn’t matter how many times I send the ‘he’s resting’ memo, they’re persistent.”

“I wish he _would_ rest,” Peter sighed, mixing up the salad in front of him with his wooden fork. “but you know what he’s like.”

“Is he still pulling those all-nighters down in the shop?” Pepper frowned, taking two bottles of water from the bag and leaving one in front of Peter before opening the other. 

“Pretty much every night,” Peter nodded. “he’s still down there when I leave and he’s there when I arrive in the morning.”

“He’ll burn himself out, he always does.” The blonde took a sip of water, twisting the bottlecap in her hand.

“Do you think..” Peter poked at the salad in front of him, taking a breath. “do you think it’s because of the cave? That he’s _afraid_ to sleep?”

“Maybe,” The blonde nodded, concern etched on her face. “but he won’t say either way, as you well know.”

“I just want to help him,” Peter took a sip of water, hand gripping the bottle a little tight. “he’s my..”

Pepper gave him a sympathetic smile, reaching across the desk and gently touching his arm.

“Give him time, that’s all any of us can do.”

-

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Peter smiled, accepting the package and taking it over to the desk, setting it down and grabbing a stack of post-its. Once he’d written a quick message, he stuck the note on top of the package and switched off the computer, gathering up his things and heading out of the office.

_‘In other news, there’s still been no sighting of Tony Stark in public, the bill-’_

Switching off the radio, Peter let out a sigh, driving in silence the rest of the way. It was dark when he pulled up outside the mansion, locking his car as he grabbed his things and headed inside. 

“Good evening, Mr. Parker.” JARVIS greeted as he entered the house, Peter smiling and giving the AI a greeting back as he went into the living room, setting up in the quiet living room

“Anyone home?”

Glancing up from his laptop, Peter found Obadiah walking into the living room, a large pizza box in his hands. 

“Hey, Obadiah,” The brunette smiled gently, stretching his arms above his head. “how was New York?”

“Peter, good to see you,” The older man smiled, setting the box down on the coffee table and shrugging off his suit jacket, laying it on the couch. “I won’t burden you with the details of it, but it was..well,” Obadiah sighed, raising an eyebrow as he headed over to the bar, pouring himself a drink. “a necessity.”

“I see,” Peter nodded, running a hand through his curls. “make yourself comfortable, I’ll get Tony.”

“Much obliged.” The older man smiled gratefully, sitting down at the piano as Peter buzzed downstairs. 

“Tony, Obadiah’s here, come on up.” 

When he didn’t get a response, Peter tried again, to the same result. 

“I’ll go get him.” Peter sighed, grabbing the package on the coffee table as the sounds of the piano filled the room, heading downstairs.

The sight that greeted him upon arrival was..unexpected, to say the least, Peter walking over to where Tony’s arm was strapped into some kind of device Peter didn’t recognize.

“I’ve been buzzing you, Obadiah’s upstairs.” The brunette raised an eyebrow, setting the package down on the bench and eyeing his boss warily.

“Alright, I’ll be right there.” Tony nodded, turning his attention back to the device on his arm.

“What is that?” Peter asked, taking a couple of steps closer. “I thought you were out of the weapons game?”

“This? Flight simulator,” Tony explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “don’t worry, it’s perfectly saf-”

A loud blast sounded, papers flying everywhere as Tony flew back, Peter taking a step back and covering his ears. 

“Tony?” The brunette asked, lowering his hands and stepping closer. 

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?

“..Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be up in a minute.”

“Here, let me give you a hand.” Peter raised an eyebrow, walking around to where his boss was sprawled on the ground inelegantly, reaching out his hand. Tony gripped it, Peter helping his boss stand, the two of them pressed close, their hands still touching.

"See?" Tony murmured, his gaze lowering to Peter's. "I'm fine."

"Good," Peter's eyes flickered up to meet Tony's. "come up when you're ready."

-

"This is good," Tony swallowed a bite of pizza, handing the box over to Peter. "did you try this? Here."

The younger man accepted the pizza box, taking a slice before leaving it down on the coffee table. 

“I mean it, Tony.” Obadiah sighed, standing up from the piano, grabbing his drink and walking over to the couch. 

“Well then you shouldn’t have told me to lay low,” Tony countered, wiping his hands. “because that’s the plan right? I lay low and you do all of the-”

“Publicly, Tony, for the media,” Obadiah sat down, smoothing his tie and taking a drink. Peter glanced over to the two men, taking a breath before reverting his gaze to his laptop. “a board of directors meeting is important.”

“That’s what it was?” Tony raised an eyebrow, turning to Peter, who met his gaze and gave him a small shrug.

“They want to file an injunction against you,” Obadiah explained, drawing Tony’s attention as Peter went back to his laptop. “they think you’re suffering from post-traumatic stress, they want to lock you out.”

Peter tensed slightly, taking a bite of pizza and keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him.

“Because of the forty points? We knew the stocks were gonna take dip and-”

“Actually it was fifty six and a half.” Peter turned to his boss, Tony looking over at him and frowning as Peter took another bite of pizza.

“That’s..that’s not the,” Tony sighed, running a hand over his face. “we’re still in charge, we own the controlling interest.”

“Well the board is entitled to have their say,” Obadiah interjected, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “and what they’re saying is that this..new direction of yours, isn’t working out.”

" _Well_ for once I'm being responsible, which is good for me. And the company. I'm responsible, the company does well, you know what I mean." Tony sighed, grabbing the pizza box and standing up. “this has been very insightful.”

“Tony.” Obadiah went after him before Peter could, the brunette resigning himself to sitting back on the couch, picking at his pizza and occasionally glancing over at the two men, their voices hushed, 

“Goodnight, Obie, Pete.” Tony smiled over at the younger man before heading back downstairs, Obadiah standing for a moment before turning back to Peter.

"Typical, who knows what he's doing down there."

"Well you know Tony,” Peter shrugged, letting out a breath. “he's always got a million ideas on the go."

"He certainly does," The older man walked over to the couch, setting the pizza box down on the coffee table and turning back to look at the stairs once more. "anyway, I better be off. Nice seeing you, Peter."

"Goodnight, Obadiah," The brunette nodded, smiling softly. “have a safe journey home.”

Once the older man had left, Peter slowly gathered up his things, letting out a yawn as he draped his laptop bag across his chest, giving a final look over to the stairs before heading out.

“Night, JARVIS. Try and get Tony to take it easy, if you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really interesting to write as there's actually so much of the film that's (obviously) centered on Tony, so it's a nice change to be able to add my own little interpretations 😀
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback, it's very appreciated ❤️❤️


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony doesn't do 'laying low', and Peter struggles to object.

“Doing anything exciting tonight?” Tony asked, accepting the green smoothie Peter handed him.

“Not really, just enjoying my night off.” The brunette smiled, leaning his hip against the desk the older man was sitting at.

“Sure you don’t want to stick around here? I’m sure I could find something for us to do.” Tony smirked, raising his eyebrow.

“You need to relax, and lay low. Have fun.” Peter smiled, moving off the desk and heading for the door.

“I got Monopoly laying around here somewhere.”

“Goodnight, Tony.” 

-

After a prolonged shower, Peter emerged from his cramped bathroom in a haze of steam, running a hand through his wet hair. He dried off and threw on some underwear, rooting around in his nightstand for the contact lenses he’d ordered. Under normal circumstances he never bothered wearing them, but since it was a special occasion he decided to go all out. Once he’d got the contacts in and adjusted to them, he went back into the bathroom, wiping away the steam from the mirror and grabbing the tub of hair gel by the sink, combing some into his hair until he looked _somewhat_ sophisticated. 

Cleaning his hands, he examined himself in the mirror, smiling softly before heading back into his bedroom and opening the wardrobe, taking the large black box down from the top shelf and laying it on his bed. He hadn’t looked at it since he’d bought (spent a small fortune of Tony’s money) on it, gently running his fingers over the luxurious material as he took the tuxedo from the box, laying it out on his bed with a smile.

-

“No, he’s, there you are,” Pepper turned away from the reporter, waving over to Peter. She looked beautiful, her blonde hair sweeping down her back with an elegant blue dress adorning her figure. “you look great, let’s head inside.”

There was a flurry of camera flashes and reporters hollering as the blonde linked her arm with Peter’s, the two of them heading inside the building.

“You look stunning,” Peter smiled, the blonde waving her hand as they moved through the crowd, heading to the bar. “where’s Happy? He’s missing out.”

“He had to go and get Obadiah,” Pepper explained, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “someone more official than us had to be here, after all.” 

“I know,” Peter nodded, raising his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “I’m glad Tony is finally taking advice and staying home, but I still felt bad hiding the invite from him.”

“Tony’s been to enough parties to last a lifetime,” Pepper raised an eyebrow, resting her hands on the bar. “missing one won’t hurt him.”

-

“Oh, yeah, it was good.” Peter nodded, smiling as he glanced across the room. He liked the idea of these events, yet always felt incredibly out of place, even with his expensive attire and slicked-back hair. He’d found himself in a conversation he really wasn’t interested in, with a dull, middle aged woman whose name escaped him and a man who bored him to tears. He caught Pepper’s eye, the blonde giving him a sympathetic smile as she danced with Happy, the two of them looking utterly loved up. Not that Peter was jealous, of course.

“Honey, there’s the Burtons, we must say hello. Nice meeting you, Peter.” The woman smiled, dragging her husband across the room as Peter took a breath, smoothing down his jacket. 

“So, this beats Monopoly?”

“Wha-” Peter turned around, letting out a soft gasp as he found Tony standing in front of him. 

“You look amazing, by the way.” The older man smiled.

“What are you doing here?” Peter asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at his boss. “I thought you were supposed to be laying low?”

“I got cabin fever,” Tony shrugged, glancing across the room before drawing his gaze back to Peter. “figured this was as good a place to be as anywhere.”

“Is anyone with you?” Peter asked, half expecting some stunning creature in a slip of a dress or tuxedo more expensive and tighter than his to appear and drape themselves across Tony.

“No. Nice tux, by the way, where’d you nab that?” Tony asked, moving in a little closer.

“It was a gift, birthday present,” Peter smiled softly, glancing down at his shoes before looking back up at Tony. “from you, actually.”

“I’m a man of great taste, what can I say.” Tony grinned, Peter biting his lip softly as he glanced around.

“Evidently so.” The brunette nodded, his gaze falling back to Tony.

“Care to dance?” The older man asked, holding out his hand.

“Oh, no,” Peter laughed softly, nerves beginning to creep in. “I don’t dance.”

“That’s okay,” Tony smiled, taking Peter’s arm and leading them towards the centre of the room, moving through the crowd. “I’ll show you how.”

“No, really,” Peter tried to interject, wincing as he felt various eyes across the room watching him. “I don’t..”

“You okay?” Tony asked, stopping so that he was facing the younger man, placing his hand on Peter’s waist and taking his hand. 

“I’m fine,” Peter nodded, glancing up at the ceiling as Tony led him, his feet kicking into gear, gently placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “It’s a regular occurence that I wear way too much cologne and dance with my boss in front of all my colleagues, in a tuxedo that cost more than my rent.” 

“You smell amazing, you look amazing,” Tony met his eyes, gently swaying them around the room as Peter willed himself not to trip over his own feet. He was usually quite graceful, but then he usually wasn’t dancing so closely with his boss. “but if it would make you feel more comfortable, I _will_ accept your resignation.”

“”Is that so?” Peter smiled, gently licking his lower lip before looking up at Tony. “because I sometimes think you wouldn't be able to get dressed in the morning without me."

"Which you’re welcome to do,” Tony grinned, raising an eyebrow. “unless it's just a ruse to get me naked.."

"Because I've never seen _that_ before." Peter rolled his eyes softly, pushing down the blush that threatened to break out.

"Come on, I'd last..at least a _week_ without you." Tony sighed, moving his hand further around Peter’s waist.

“Remind me again of your social security number?” Peter asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling as the older man paused, his eyes flickering up to the ceiling as he thought.

“Five.”

"Not quite." Peter smiled softly, looking across the room and finding most people either dancing or standing and chatting, a couple of them meeting his eyes before he looked away, his eyes meeting Tony’s.

"That's why I have you, I don't need to think about that stuff, I can focus on the important things instead." The older man smiled softly, his gaze staying on Peter’s as the younger man began to forget there was anyone else in the room. "Air? I could use some air."

"Air sounds good, yes." Peter nodded, snapping himself out of his thoughts and moving back from Tony, following the older man through the crowd and out onto the balcony, taking a breath before placing his hands on the balustrade, looking out at the city.

“Well, that was..” Peter sighed. “completely awkward.”

“Completely fine.” Tony shrugged, leaning his arm on the balustrade and looking over at Peter.

“It was _not_ fine, Tony.” The brunette shook his head, reality hitting him. A reality where people like him didn’t get to dance with people like Tony.

“So we danced, nobody even noticed.” The older man countered, nonchalantly.

“In front of all my coworkers and _superiors_ and it was _totally_ inappropriate and-” Peter began, an embarrassed flush creeping up his back.

“We weren't the only ones dancing, I think you're over exaggerating a tad. It was just a dance.” 

"Except it _wasn't_ ," Peter kept his gaze on the lights sprawling out below them before turning to his boss. “because it's _you,_ and the whole _world_ knows who you are, never mind everyone in the room. They know who you are and what you.. _do_ with people, which you're perfectly entitled to because they're beautiful and you're..” He took a breath, frowning slightly. "my boss, and I'm.. _nobody_ , I just _work_ for you and now everyone is going to think that there's something to it because.."

"I don't think anyone is going to think anything." Tony smiled, moving in a little closer.

“It looks like I'm trying to..” Peter sighed, the repercussions already playing out in his head. He’d heard the rumours about him over the years, that he only got the job because Tony found him attractive. This wasn’t going to help anything.

“You're worrying about nothing.” Tony waved a hand, and Peter felt himself grow increasingly frustrated with his situation. He’d always admired Tony, and sure, a part of him thought the older man was attractive, but he was Tony Stark, _everyone_ found him attractive. But Peter was his assistant, he was proud of his job and what he’d done and..hated, just a little bit, that he wanted to fling himself into Tony’s arms.

“It's not _nothing_ ,” The brunette sighed, his gaze meeting Tony’s. “because we're in this beautiful place and I'm wearing this stupid tux and then you look at me like _that_ when we were dancing and..”

Any and all thought left his mind as Tony leaned in, his gaze falling to Peter’s lips. The air around them felt breezy and suffocating at once, bracingly cold and so hot it made Peter’s whole body tingle. It was all too much, the urge to just close the gap and..

"Could you get me a drink, please? I really need..a drink." Peter swallowed a breath, his gaze flickering up to Tony’s deep brown pools of eyes.

“Got it.” Tony nodded, giving Peter a lingering look before heading inside.

"Scotch. Ice. _Lots_ of ice. And a twist, please."

Waiting until he was sure Tony had left, Peter leaned his arms against the railing and let out a heavy breath, trying to collect his thoughts.

This wasn't good. He wasn't the type to just..kiss someone like that, never mind his boss. But Tony was..different. He made Peter want to be different.

Gently smoothing out his tuxedo, Peter took a breath and looked back towards the door, a small smile forming on his face while he waited

And waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really excited to write this chapter, it was a huge reason I wanted to take the story and adjust it to Starker. Hopefully it was as enjoyable to read as it was to write 🥰
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter feel free to let me know, it's always lovely to hear from you ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked, it means the world 😘🎉


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is struggling to keep up with Tony's new direction.

Switching off the engine, Peter lightly tapped his fingers against the wheel before grabbing his things from the passenger seat and getting out of the car.

He knew it was stupid to still be annoyed, there wasn't anything to be annoyed _about_ , he could've kissed Tony, but didn't. And _shouldn't_ have, Tony probably realised the inappropriateness of the situation and left. Sure, Peter would've preferred _not_ to just be left alone for an hour, but he wasn't the one with the power.

Heading into the office, Peter sat down at the desk and opened his laptop. Tony had told him he didn't need to come by the house and a small part of Peter had been relieved. He'd barely seen Tony since the gala, the older man spending more and more time in the shop.

The few times they did see each other it was usually brief, Peter giving Tony something to sign or dropping off a cup of coffee. When Tony hadn't broached the subject of what had happened between them, Peter didn't either, pushing down any feelings that rose about it.

The day went by as usual, though Peter did notice a couple of stares and whispers when he went in and out of the office, choosing to ignore them. There was nothing to whisper about, as far as he was concerned.

During his lunch break he watched a news report on a town in Afghanistan, the TV playing in Tony's office. He switched it off after a while, a guilt settling over him, his own problems paling in comparison. Once he'd finished up for the day he considered dropping by the mansion to check in on Tony, deciding against it, feeling like he wanted to have some time to himself.

-

The next morning, The next morning, Peter hopped into the car and began the drive to the office, flicking on the radio.

_'..where Colonel Rhodes confirmed that the incident in foreign air space that occurred yesterday was a training exercise, and nobody was injured. Colonel Rhodes also confirmed that the unexplained events that occurred in Gulmira did not involve the United States government, and it is as of yet unknown who, or what intervened in the situation. In other news..'_

Raising an eyebrow, Peter felt a strange urge to drop by the mansion, heading on past the turn off to the office. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt like he needed to see Tony, to check in on him.

Parking up outside the mansion, Peter stepped out of the car and headed inside, finding it empty as he checked the various rooms. Heading downstairs, he frowned as he saw the glass shattered, carefully walking down the stairs and heading into the workshop.

The sight before him was, without a doubt, the last thing he ever thought he'd see Tony doing (and that was a _long_ list). He wasn't even entirely sure what he was looking at, necessarily. Tony appeared to be caught in some kind of machine, various robotic arms pulling at the..armour he was wearing, JARVIS tutting at him.

"What's..going on?" Peter asked, moving closer as Tony turned his head to look at him.

"To be fair, you've seen me do a lot worse in a lot less."

"Are those..did you get hurt? Are those bullet holes?" Peter moved closer, his heart jumping into his throat as he noticed the dents covering Tony's armour.

-

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peter asked, handing Tony the mug in his hands before sitting down beside him on the couch in the workshop.

"Because," Tony shrugged, his fingers tapping against the side of the mug. "it was something I needed to do, and I did it. There was no reason to involve you."

Peter pushed down the uncomfortable feeling that rose in him, taking a sip from his own mug.

"You could've been killed."

"I almost was, but it didn't happen," Tony sighed, not quite meeting the younger man's eye. "I was lucky. Others weren't, that's why I had to step in, take responsibility."

"So it was you, in Gulmira." Peter asked, frowning slightly. He'd heard what had happened over there, and the thought of Tony getting injured, or worse, didn't bear thinking about. "Why?"

"Because I'm not going to let my company be the cause of any more death, and needless destruction. I saw what they did, and it's still happening. I had to do something." Tony took a sip of coffee, getting up and walking over to the TV, keeping his back to Peter.

“By putting yourself in serious danger?” Peter kept his eyes on Tony, clutching the mug in his hands tightly.

“There was no other choice.” The older man muttered, looking back at Peter.

“Have you tested that..thing?” Peter waved over to where the armour had been concealed. “Is it safe?”

“I built it, of course it is.” The older man rolled his eyes, taking a sip of coffee. Peter knew it probably was, but even so, Tony was never one to to let a little danger hold him back.

“Anything could’ve happened Tony, you could’ve..” The brunette sighed, standing up and taking a breath. “I have other things to attend to. Will there by anything else, Mr. Stark?”

“No,” The older man shook his head.“thank you, Peter.” Tony turned back to the TV, running a hand through his hair.

Heading back up the stairs and into the kitchen, Peter quickly washed out his mug, wiping away the tear that threatened to fall as he went back out to the living room, gathering up his things and leaving the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an interesting chapter to write as most of it wasn't exactly in the plot of the film, so I'm just kind of interpreting it as I see fit 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed it, feel free to let me know, it's always a pleasure to hear from you ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented/bookmarked, you're all absolute dotes 🎉😘


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Peter, reluctantly, agrees to help Tony, he uncovers more than he bargained for..

After a couple of days of working from the office, and only dropping by the house for the bare essentials, Peter was still irritated. He and Tony had barely spoken, and Peter found himself missing the older man.

The prevailing thought in his mind was that he'd already almost lost Tony once, and the idea that the man was purposely throwing himself back in harm's way was devastating.

Driving back to the office after lunch, Peter raised an eyebrow as Tony's name flashed up on his phone. 

"Hey, are you okay?" The brunette asked, looking back to the road. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you come over? I need you for something."

Peter let out a sigh, lightly tapping his fingers against the wheel. 

"Yeah," The brunette nodded, lightly ruffling his hair. "I'll be there soon."

“There you are, can you do something for me?" Tony asked, wiping his hands as he looked over to Peter, the younger man walking into the workshop.

"That depends,” The brunette looked over to the dismantled armour the older man was working on, letting out a breath. “what is it?"

"I'm gonna need you to go over to my office,” Tony explained, standing and folding his arm as he leaned against the desk. “Then you'll need to hack into the mainframe and retrieve all of the recent shipping manifests."

“Right..” Peter nodded, trying to figure out where Tony was going.

"This,” Tony reached across the desk, picking up a small black device. “is a lock chip. It'll give you access. The manifests are most likely under executive files. If not, they’ll be on a ghost drive, in which case you'll have to check for the lowest numeric heading."

"Say I do this," Peter folded his arms, tilting his head to the side. "what do you plan on doing with the information?"

"What I've _been_ doing,” Tony ran a hand through his hair, lightly tugging it. There were dark shadows under his eyes, Peter noticed, frowning. “They've been doing underhanded deals, and I'm going to put a stop to it. I'm going to find my weapons, and destroy them.”

“I see,” Peter sighed, running a hand over his face. “you know that I'd do anything for you, but if you're gonna start all _that_ again..” He gestured over to the armour, his breath hitched in his throat. “I can't be part of if, I won't.”

“ _That_ is all there is." Tony snapped, folding his arms. "There's no gala, no ribbons to cut, nothing. What there _is_ is the next mission, and that's it." 

"Well if that's all there is then I'm out,” Peter shook his head, shoving down any emotions threatening to rise to the surface. “I quit.”

"Grown a conscience, have we?" Tony raised an eyebrow, his eyes focused on the brunette. "because _you_ never objected when I was looking the other way, happy to reap the benefits of chaos and destruction. But _now_ , now that I'm trying to make a change, to protect the people that I threw into danger, you're not going to be here anymore? That's your line in the sand?"

"I'm not gonna be here to watch you kill yourself,” Peter snapped, his fists clenching. “ _That's_ my line in the sand."

"By all accounts I should already be dead, but I'm here and I'm not letting a moment slip away.” Tony sighed, taking a step closer. “I'm serious, Peter. For once in my life I know what the right thing to do is, and I'm going to do it. It's right, and I know in my heart that it's right.” 

The older man held out the device in his hands, Peter’s head swimming. Deep down, he knew Tony had a point, and maybe his own fears shouldn’t count against the man actually trying to be a force for good. Reluctantly, Peter reached out and accepted the device, his eyes focused on Tony’s.

"In a lot of ways, Tony, you're all I have too." The brunette sighed, his gaze lingering on the older man for a moment before heading out of the workshop and leaving the house.

-

Once he was confident he wouldn’t be disturbed, Peter slipped into Tony’s office, closing the door behind him and heading over to the desk. Inserting the device Tony had given into the computer, Peter watched as a host of files appeared on the screen, various orders for weapons shipments approved by Obadiah and what appeared to be some kind of..blueprints?

“Sector 16..” Peter murmured, trying to figure out what he was looking at. “Why the secret files, Obadiah?”

Clicking on the next file, Peter watched as a video began playing, grainy footage of men holding guns, speaking a language he couldn’t understand. Quickly having it translated, Peter’s heart flew into his mouth as the man continued. 

_‘When we were paid to eliminate the target, we were not informed it was the great Tony Stark. As you can see, Obadiah Stane..’_

_“Tony..”_ The brunette murmured, his eyes focused on the screen. 

_‘ ..your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill Tony Stark has just increased.’_

Hitting download, Peter sat back in the chair, letting out a breath. Before he could do anything else, the door to the office swung open, Obadiah stepping into the room.

“Look who it is,” The older man smiled, moving over to the drinks cabinet, Peter forcing a smile and quickly grabbing the newspaper laying on the desk, gently sliding it over the device and silently thanking himself for leaving it behind the day before. 

“Only the best for Tony, huh?” Obadiah raised an eyebrow, picking up the bottle of scotch and pouring himself a glass. “It was such a relief to get him home, I was thrilled.” The older man began to walk over to the desk, Peter willing the download to finish. 

“For a while I thought we’d never get him home,” Obadiah sighed, Peter glancing to the screen and quickly throwing on the screensaver as the download finished, the older man walking behind him before half-sitting down on the desk, swirling the drink in his hand as Peter tried to stay calm. “but, in a way, he didn't. Did he? A part of him is still in the cave, it breaks my heart just thinking about it.”

“You know what Tony’s like,” Peter shrugged, keeping the smile plastered on his face. “he's a little..complicated at times but he's been through a lot. He’ll be okay, I’m sure.”

Obadiah was silent, for a moment, taking a long drink as he kept his eyes on Peter. 

“You’re right,” The older man eventually nodded, glancing over to the window. “he’ll be just fine.”

“Well, I'd better get going,” Peter took the paper, slipping his thumb underneath and slipping out the device. “nice seeing you, Obadiah.”

Standing up and heading for the door, Peter froze when the older man called after him.

“That wouldn’t be today’s paper, would it?”

“This?” Peter quickly slipped the device into his hand and closed his fist, turning around to see Obadiah walking over to him. “it’s a day old, I think.”

“Even so.” The older man smiled, stopping when he was uncomfortably close to Peter. 

“Be my guest.” Peter swallowed a breath, handing over the paper and trying to keep his breathing steady.

“Crossword.” Obadiah explained, patting the newspaper against his chest as Peter nodded.

"Of course, well, I better be off." The brunette gave a curt nod, heading to the door and walking out, clutching his fist as he walked down the hall and headed downstairs.

"Mr Parker,” A somewhat familiar voice called, drawing Peter’s attention to a middle aged man sitting in the lobby. “have you forgotten about our appointment?"

"Agent Coulson, there you are.” Peter walked over to the man, gesturing to the front door. “Come with me, would you? We're gonna have our meeting right now.”

“Right now?” The man asked, falling into step beside the brunette as he headed for the door.

“Right now, your office," Peter nodded, keeping his eyes ahead of him. “you’ll never forget this one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting near the end! But I've already decided that I'm going to give myself the goal of writing this up until Endgame (which I'm not even thinking about until I get to it, for obvious reasons 🥺)
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know your thoughts ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/commented/bookmarked, it's very much appreciated and I adore you for it 🥰🥰


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations abound..

“Mr. Parker,” Agent Coulson turned to Peter as the brunette quickly scrolled through his phone. “these are very serious allegations, do you have any evidence of Mr. Stane’s activities?”

“Here,” Peter handed over the small black device in his hand, finding Tony’s number and hitting it, holding the phone upto his ear. “everything is on this.”

Moving away from the agent’s desk, Peter paced across the floor as he waited for the call to connect, letting out a sigh of relief as it did. “Tony? Are you there? Hello?”

The call disconnected almost immediately, Peter finding the usual menu screen staring back at him when he looked at his phone. 

“This is everything we need to arrest Mr. Stane,” Agent Coulson nodded, standing up from his desk and walking over to Peter. “where is he now?”

-

“Rhodey? Can you hear me?” Peter asked, glancing out the passenger side window, watching the lights twinkling in the night sky. “it’s Obadiah, he tried to kill Tony, he was the one who arranged for him to be kidnapped by those terrorists, he paid them to-” 

The brunette took a breath as he listened to Rhodey, running a hand over his face.

“Yes, he’s working on some kind of secret project, I think he’s gonna hurt Tony, I’m with a group of government agents, they’re going to arrest Obadiah. I don’t know where Tony is, I can’t get through to him, can you please go over to the house and make sure he’s okay? Thank you, Rhodey.”

Peter hung up, clutching the phone in his hand, his leg shaking slightly as he let out a breath. Agent Coulson pulled up by the Arc Reactor facility, the other cars pulling up alongside them as Peter got out of the car, heading inside the building and leading the agents down to Section 16, swiping his card on the keypad and frowning when it rejected.

“I can’t get in,” Peter sighed, turning back to Agent Coulson, flanked by four other men. “my key won’t work.”

“Allow me, Mr. Parker,” Agent Coulson reached into his jacket, taking out a small device and planting it on the door, taking a step back. “you might want to stand back a bit.”

Peter nodded, moving back and covering his ears as the door flew open, a cloud of smoke rising. Agent Coulson and two of the other agents went ahead, while Peter followed behind with the two other agents, slowly making their way down the dark steps. The air turned colder as they progressed further, a slight, distant dripping sound emerging as they made their way into a dark, dank area deep underground. 

“Seems you were right, Mr. Parker,” Agent Coulson stopped as they discovered a robotic suit of armour. “he was indeed making a suit.”

“It’s smaller than I thought it would be.” Peter whispered, turning his head as a strange, low, whirring noise sounded. Walking through the dark facility, Peter heard the noise louder, stopping in front of a dark corner, staring into an empty void. Out of nowhere, two bright, glowing, almost eye-like features began to glow, Peter turning and running as heavy metal footsteps thudded on the ground.

“Run!” The brunette shouted, passing the agents as he headed for the door, glancing back and finding a larger version of the robotic armour chasing him, looking ahead and racing to the door, a burst of light glowing behind as a loud crash sounded, quickly running up the stairs and out of the facility, checking behind him and finding he was alone, taking a breath and feeling a buzzing in his pocket, grabbing his phone and pressing it to his ear.

“Peter? Are you there?”

“Tony,” Peter breathed, relief and fear flooding him. “where are you? Are you safe?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, listen,” 

“It’s Obadiah, he’s gone crazy, he built this suit and-” Peter began, Tony cutting him off.

“I know, I know,” Tony sounded frantic, Peter looking up over the building. “you have to get out there, it’s not-”

A loud thunderous noise sounded, Peter turning around and letting out a gasp as Obadiah, in the giant robotic suit crawled out of the hole in the ground, rising above Peter, a distorted, robotic voice leaving the suit.

“There you are,” As Peter stepped back, he felt panic coarse through him as Obadiah lifted one of the giant arms, a huge minigun whirring to life and pointing right at the brunette. “Your services are no longer required.”

May’s face appeared in Peter’s mind, MJ’s, Ned’s, Ben’s, and Tony’s, the first time they ever met, the night they almost kissed, the-

“Stane!”

Peter looked up as a burst of light shot down from the sky, crashing into Obadiah and sending the two of them crashing down through the ground.

Stepping back, Peter looked over as the crashing noises continued, his breathing shaky as he looked back to the smashed doors of the facility, glass shards covering the floor.

For too long, there was nothing, Peter’s heartbeat ringing in his ears, clutching his phone to his ear and waiting for any sign Tony was okay. Eventually, two blasts of light shot into the sky, Peter letting out a breath as he watched them disappear, holding his hand over his chest. 

A couple of minutes later, a huge crash sounded from the roof of the facility, Peter looking up and seeing another flash of light fall onto the roof, Tony’s voice sounding in his ear moments later.

“Peter? You still there?”

“Tony! Yes, I’m here, I’m here,” The brunette stood back looking up to the roof, his heart thundering. “are you okay? What’s happening?”

“The suit’s failing, we have to do something else,” The older man muttered, his breath caught. “We're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof.”

“Can you do that?” Peter asked, keeping his eyes on the roof.

“No,” Tony’s response was hurried. “but _you_ can, Head up to the central console and open the circuits, all of them. I’ll tell you when I get clear of the roof. Then you’re gonna hit the master bypass button, that’ll fry everything up here.”

“Alright,” Peter nodded, heading into the facility, carefully walking over the broken glass. “I’m doing it now.” 

“Don’t touch the bypass button until I’m clear of the roof, I’ll get you some more time.” Tony breathed, Peter heading up to the console of the reactor opening the circuits before moving over to the central console.

“Tony, it’s done, get off the roof!” Peter called, looking up to the roof. 

“Peter!” Tony yelled, the younger man’s heart beating faster and faster. “hit the button now!”

“You said not to!” Peter called, his eyes trained on the roof.

“Just push it!” The older man yelled, Peter’s heart catching in his throat as the realisation hit him.

“I can’t, it’ll kill you!”

“Now, Peter!”

**“** Tony!” 

With a shaky hand, Peter slammed his hand on the button, a huge surge of light and power bursting forward, his phone dropping to the floor as everything went dark.

-

_‘You've all received the official statement of what occurred at Stark Industries last night. There have been unconfirmed reports that a robotic prototype malfunctioned and caused damage to the arc reactor. Fortunately, a member of Tony Stark's personal security staff..’_

"Iron Man, huh?" Tony raised an eyebrow, folding the newspaper in his hands as Peter applied the necessary makeup to his boss’s face, glancing up at the TV behind him. “It’s not exactly accurate, but it’s pretty catchy. I’ll give them that, they've painted quite the picture.”

“Mr. Stark,” Agent Coulson entered the room, walking over to Tony and handing him a small stack of cards. “your alibi, You were on your yacht on the night in question. We have port papers that state you as being in Avalon all night, as well as sworn statements from fifty of your guests.”

“Can I make a suggestion?” Tony asked. “Maybe we should say that it was just me and Peter alone on the island.”

**“** That,” Agent Coulson pointed to the cards in Tony’s hand as Peter smiled to himself. “is what happened. Just read it, word for word, and you’ll be fine.”

It doesn’t say anything about Stane.” Tony frowned, looking over at the agent.

“Don’t worry about that,” The man sighed, folding his arms. “Mr. Stane is currently on vacation. Small aircraft have such a poor safety record.”

But this bodyguard cover story,” Tony frowned as Peter finished applying the makeup, walking over to the table and setting down the items in his hand before wiping them, glancing over to Tony. “it’s a little flimsy, no?”

“We know what we’re doing, Mr. Stark, just stick to the script.” Agent Coulson went to leave, giving Peter a curt nod before the brunette called after him.

“Before you go,” Peter smiled, walking over to the agent and extending his hand. “I wanted to thank you, for everything you’ve done.”

“All part of the job,” Agent Coulson smiled, shaking Peter’s hand. “we’ll be in touch.”

“Right, the Strategic Homeland..”

“S.H.I.E.L.D, we worked on it.” The agent smiled, heading out of the room as Peter took Tony’s suit jacket from the couch, walking over to the older man.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” 

“This isn’t bad,” Tony read over the notes again, nodding softly. “ _I_ don't even think I'm Iron Man.”

“That’s because you're _not_ Iron Man.” Peter smiled, holding up Tony’s jacket as the older man placed the notecards between his teeth and turned around, the brunette sliding the jacket along his boss’s arms. 

“I really am.” Tony murmured around the cards, Peter rolling his eyes with a smile as he smoothed out the jacket, Tony fixing the sleeves. 

“Except that you’re not.” Peter raised an eyebrow, fixing the collar of the jacket. 

“Say I _was_ Iron Man,” Tony took the cards from his mouth, reading over them once more. “I'd have this partner who’d know my true identity. They’d be a wreck, always so fearful that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become,” Peter stepped back as the older man turned around, before moving closer and filing the jacket lapels. “They’d be wildly conflicted, which would only make them, naturally, more crazy about me.”

Peter let out a soft sigh, looking up and meeting Tony’s gaze when the older man gently gripped Peter’s wrist. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about that night.”

“Would this be the night that we danced and went up on the roof, and then you went downstairs to get me a drink, and you left me there, by myself?” Peter raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. “that night? Yeah, I thought as much. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

“Yes, that will be all, Mr. Parker.” Tony nodded, his gaze lingering as Peter moved away, heading out the door.

-

Peter gave a quick wave over to Pepper, the blonde standing on the stage beside Rhodey, giving Peter a smile back. Moving to the back of the room, Peter watched as Tony came out to give his speech, smiling softly

When Tony faltered, Peter kept his eyes on the older man, who looked up and met the younger man’s gaze.

Peter gave an encouraging smile, watching as Tony looked up at the crowd, taking a breath.

“The truth is... I am Iron Man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the first part done! 🎉 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this, it's been so fun writing this and I can't wait to delve deeper into the story 😄❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked, you wonderful angels, it's so appreciated 🥰🥰
> 
> Up next, Iron Man 2, Starker style!


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things never change..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we begin Iron Man 2 - Starker style!

"Yeah, it looks..it's really _something_ ," Peter raised an eyebrow, lowering the volume on the TV. "is he there yet?"

"You know Tony," Pepper sighed at the other end of the phone. "he likes to make an entrance."

"Have you told him about Washington yet? I've been avoiding it, I told him I was staying behind for a doctor's appointment." Peter sat down on the soft hotel bed spread, keeping his eye on the TV, a pretty reporter interviewing people in the crowd.

"As a last gift to myself before going on maternity leave, I've decided to tell him in a more..roundabout way."

"Well the sooner he gets here the better," Peter stood up, ruffling his hair as he walked over to the desk, picking up his bottle of water. "as for you, take it easy and enjoy your time off."

"I'll try," The blonde laughed. "good luck with Tony."

"I'll need it. Take care." Peter smiled softly, saying his goodbyes to Pepper before sitting back on the bed and watching as Tony made his grand entrance at the expo.

He just about managed to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head, though he couldn't help but feel a little proud.

-

"So," Tony smiled, looking over to Peter as they walked down the hall. "that went pretty well, I felt."

"Oh how I envy your optimism, Tony." Peter let out a breath, keeping his focus ahead of him.

"It was good, right Hogan?" Tony turned to glance at the bodyguard walking behind them.

"It was..something, boss."

"See? Come on, Pete, it wasn't that bad." Tony looked back at the brunette beside him with a grin.

"It was certainly the most interesting Senate Armed Services Committee hearing I've ever attended." Peter gave the older man a quick glance before they headed out of the building and over to the car. 

“I'm taking that as a yes.”

-

"Hey JARVIS,” Peter walked through the hall and into the living room. “Tony downstairs?"

“Good morning, Mr. Parker, yes, Mr. Stark is currently in his workshop.”

"Great, I'll be right down, thanks Jarv.” 

Taking off his coat and draping it over the couch, Peter smoothed out his white shirt before heading downstairs, his fingers sweeping over the keypad before stepping into the workshop.

"There you are," The brunette sighed, walking over to the desk his boss was standing behind. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"Why do I feel like that's not gonna be as fun as it sounds?” Tony smirked, walking over to the car collection as Peter fell into step after him. 

“Correct me if I'm wrong,” Peter folded his arms as Tony turned back to him. “but did you seriously sell our entire modern art collection to the boy sc-”

"Boy scouts of America, yes I did," Tony nodded, glancing over to the window. "now I didn't _personally_ place every piece in each crate but you know, yeah. It's for a good cause. And technically, it's not _our_ collection, I don't recall us..you know." The older man raised an eyebrow, gesturing between the two of them.

"Well even so,” Peter forced down the uncomfortable feeling that rose in his stomach. There had been..some minor flirting but nothing further. Which was _fine_ , he reminded himself. “that was a huge step, Tony, did you even think about th-"

"I needed a tax write-off." The older man shrugged, turning and walking through the workshop, Peter running a hand over his face before following after him.

"Right," The brunette conceded ."well now I only have about..9,999 things left to talk to you about."

"Look alive, Dum-E. Bridgeport's already machining that part." Tony clicked his fingers at the robot, stopping and turning back to Peter.

"The Expo," Peter started, before Tony turned and began walking once again. “a _year_ , Tony? I mean, three days..a _week_ , fine, but a year is ridiculous."

"The expo is fine the way it is, there’s nothing more important to me _than_ the Expo. I don't see how you can't understand that.." The older man waved a hand, Peter clenching his jaw slightly as they turned the corner, Tony’s attention being drawn away. 

"The Expo is your ego on acid." Peter folded his arms as Tony stooped down, picking up a large, gaudy painting of Iron Man.

“Well check this out, _this_ is modern art. It’s going up.” 

“Are you serious?” Peter frowned, following after his boss as the man strode forward.

“This is great, I got the perfect place.” 

“Stark is in complete disarray. You know that, right? I’ve told you sev-” Peter knew he was fighting a losing battle for Tonys attention, but that had never stopped him before.

“Our stocks have never been higher, nothing to worry about.” Tony turned to him with a smile before walking on.

“Yes, from a managerial standpoint, technically,” Peter started, Tony moving over to the sink and placing the painting in his hands up on it before sweeping off the contents, hopping up as Peter protested.

"Whoa, hang on." The brunette called. "I'm not an art expert by any means, but Pepper taught me enough to know _that_.." He gestured to the Iron Man painting. "should not replace _that_." He gestured to the..other painting. (He absolutely was not an expert)

"Don't think of it as 'taking down' think of it as a little switch." Tony maneuvered the paintings, Peter shaking his head and stepping closer.

“Okay, great, whatever. What I’m tryin to tell you is that we’ve already awarded contracts to the wind farm people,” Peter watched as Tony admired his handiwork, holding his hands up and examining the new painting.

“Ugh don’t say ‘wind farm’, I’m already feeling..gassy.” Tony frowned, looking over at the brunette.”

“Charming,” Peter rolled his eyes, folding his arms. “we’ve also awarded contracts to the plastic plantation tree, which, need I remind you, was _your_ idea, Tony. Those people are on the payroll and-”

“Everything was my idea,” Tony smiled, resting his hands on his hips. “need I remind _you_.”

“You won’t make a decision, it’ll take two seconds.” Peter tapped his foot lightly, his patience clinging on by a thread.

“Liberal agenda, blah blah blah, I don’t care anymore. It’s boring, I’m _bored_.” Tony sighed, jumping down from the counter as Peter stepped back. “so, you’re gonna do it.”

“What exactly am I doing?” Peter asked, swallowing a breath as Tony moved closer to him. 

“Running the company.” The older man shrugged, Peter letting out a breath.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Peter ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his composure. “but it’s not easy when you’re being such a major pain in my-”

“Peter, I need you to stop trying, and start doing.” Tony sighed, Peter taking a breath.

“I _can’t_ , when you won’t give me a straight answer to simple qu-”

“You _can_ , because I’m here, in front of you, asking you to.”

“I keep telling you, I am trying,”

“Pete, I need you to listen to me.” Tony insisted, resting his hands on the younger man’s shoulders for a moment.

“ _No_ , Tony, I need you to listen to me, because-” Peter could feel his frustration growing, and the last thing he needed was Tony pushing him over the edge.

“Peter, I’m trying to make you CEO. Is that idea so unappealing to you?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Are you drunk?” Peter managed after a moment, the only explanation that made any sense to him.

“Not quite.” Tony winked. “I, Tony Stark, hereby irrevocably appoint you chairman and CEO of Stark Industries effective immediately. Okay? Great. I’ve actually given this a fair amount of thought, believe it or not.”

As Peter was trying to wrap his head around the information, Dum-E rolled over with a tray, an expensive Champagne sitting on it alongside two crystal glasses.

“Tony, you can’t just..appoint me as CEO just like that.” Peter sighed, refusing to accept that Tony could be serious. 

“Well, I can, actually,” Tony grinned. “I had it all checked out and there;s no legal issues, I'm entitled to name a successor.” 

“Which..shouldn’t be _me_ , it should be..Pepper, or someone who has much more ex-” Peter insisted, his mind and heart racing.

“I consulted Pepper, actually.” Tony began, pouring the champagne as Peter slowly sat down, trying to process what the older man had been saying. “And she agreed that it should be you. Let’s face it, you know the company inside out, you know me, I trust you, what’s the problem?” Tony went to pass the younger man a glass, Peter looking over at him in shock. “Here, congratulations. Yes? Don’t tell me you’re gonna turn me down. Just take it.” 

“I..don’t know what to say.” Peter managed, accepting the glass as Tony sat down beside him, a smile on his face.

“Then don’t, that’s the beauty of drinking. Cheers.”

And, with a clink, Peter’s fate was sealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm so excited to begin this next part of the story 🎉
> 
> I love the first Iron Man endlessly, but it's great to be at the point where the stage has been set, and a certain relationship can really be amped up to the next level ❤️
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know as it's a pleasure to hear from you 🥰🥰


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter doesn't get jealous, he just doesn't. Especially not when Tony gets a new assistant..

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rushman." Peter smiled, gently shaking the redhead’s hand. 

"Natalie, please.” The woman insisted, sweeping back her perfectly styled waves.

"Tony's just down the hall, I apologise on his behalf." Peter sighed softly, guiding Natalie down the hallway, the redhead turning to him with a cocked brow.

"There's no need to-" 

"It's a preemptive strike." The brunette explained, the two of them walking down to the gym, Natalie stopping before they entered. 

“Could you excuse me for a moment? I just need to make sure I have everything in order.” 

“Of course,” Peter nodded, gesturing to the double doors further down the hall. “it’s just through there when you’re ready.” 

Leaving the redhead to her business, Peter continued on, walking into the gym and finding Tony and Happy in the boxing ring. "The notary’s here, could you please take two minutes from.. _that_ and come sign the transfer paperwork?"

“No can do, I'm afraid," Tony called, waving a gloved hand in Peter’s general direction. “I’m on Happy time.”

Moving over to the window, Peter only _slightly_ rolled his eyes as the two men practically drooled when Natalie walked into the room, ignoring them and moving over to Peter, opening the binder in her hands. 

"I really don't feel like forging your signature, Tony,” Peter called, accepting the pen the redhead handed him with a soft smile. “can we get this done?”

"So if you could initial each box for me, please." Natalie asked, gesturing to where Peter needed to sign, the brunette taking a breath. He had just about gotten his head around the idea, and may or may not have spent the night after Tony made him CEO jumping for joy in his apartment.

As Peter finished signing his own part, a loud thud sounded, he and Natalie looking over to the ring and finding Happy now on the ground, with Tony standing triumphantly. 

"Alright, I'm out." The man pulled down his hood, ruffling his hair slightly and smiling over at Natalie. “Who might you be? You don't work for me. I'd remember, I'm pretty sure."

"Rushman. Natalie Rushman.” The redhead smiled politely, while Peter absolutely didn’t get irked by the way Tony was looking at her.

“Front and centre,” Tony waved her over. “come into the church.”

"Are you serious?” Peter sighed, running a hand over his face. “You can't expect everyone to bend to your every whim, Tony.”

“Don’t be shy, come on.” Tony insisted, Peter turning to the redhead with an apologetic face.

“It’s fine, really.” Natalie smiled, gracefully slipping off her shoes.

“I’m sorry about this,” Peter sighed, glancing over to Tony. “Please feel free to smack him in the mouth, it's a privilege I'm sorely lacking."

The brunette sat down on the soft white leather couch, watching as Natalie crossed over to the ring and delicately stepping into it. He took his phone from his pocket, opening it as Tony walked over to him, flopping down beside him, a distinct aroma of sweat and expensive aftershave enveloping Peter.

“Pete.”

“Yes?” The brunette sighed, looking up and watching as Natalie talked to Happy. 

“Who might she be?”

“ _Natalie_ is from legal,” Peter started, glancing over to his boss. “and she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like a caveman."

"You know what I just realised?” Tony steamed past Peter’s remark, his eyes focused on the redhead across the room. “I need a new assistant, seeing as my last one abandoned the post."

"At _your_ personal request," Peter raised an eyebrow, looking back to his phone. "and there are three excellent candidates ready to meet you for the job." 

"Or, I could save all their time, my time _and_ your time and just hire her. I see great potential." Tony crossed his legs, Peter refusing to roll his eyes.

_“I wonder why.”_

"Jealous, are we Parker?" 

"Please,” Peter snorted, somewhat unattractively and little too quickly to be convincing. “the last thing I need is you ogling me."

"Is that what you youngsters call it these days?" Tony smirked, Peter clenching his jaw ever so slightly.

“How do I spell your name, Natalie?” The older man asked, leaning over to the end table and clapping his hands. 

“R-U-S-H-M-A-N.” The redhead responded, giving Peter a quick smile, the brunette feeling guilty at the irritation that grew in him. _Not her fault, not her fault, not her fault._

"Stalking her now, are we?" Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing over to see Tony swiping through the holographic screen.

"You're a terrible actor, Pete. Jealousy really doesn't suit you." Tony sighed, leading to Peter giving in and rolling his eyes.

"Wow. Very, very impressive, I gotta say." 

_"Mm."_ Peter nodded, his grip on his phone tightening slightly.

“Says here she’s fluent in French, Italian, Russian and..Latin. Who even speaks Latin?” Tony asked.

“Nobody does.”

" _She_ does."

“It’s a dead language. You can read it or you can write it, but you can’t speak it.” Peter explained, Tony quickly moving on.

"She also models, or at least she did. That's _exactly_ the kind of thing I'm looking for."

"Of course." Peter muttered, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. 

“She’s the one I need. She’s got the whole package.” Tony turned to Peter with a grin, the younger man nodding gently, looking over to the ring and letting out a gasp as Natalie brought Happy down onto the mat in one graceful swoop, quickly getting up from the couch.

“Oh, my God, Happy are you okay?” The brunette asked, the bodyguard quickly waving a hand as Tony stood, crossing over to them.

Peter stood back, watching as Tony and Natalie made eyes at each other for a minute before Tony finally signed what he needed to, the brunette walking over to join them. 

“So, everything in order?” Peter asked, looking between the two of them.

“You..” Tony murmured, adding his thumb print onto the page before him. “are officially the boss, congratulations.

“Will there be anything else, Mr Stark?” Natalie asked, accepting the binder back as Tony smiled at her.

"Absolutely, in fact if you want to grab a dr-"

"Yes, that will be all.” Peter sighed, smiling at the redhead. “Thank you, Natalie. I'll show you out." The brunette smiled politely, if a little forced, gesturing to the door before turning back to Tony, mouthing a quick _'don't even think about it’_ before joining the redhead and leaving the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emotionally torturing Peter Parker is like a hobby by now 😂🙈
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️


	11. XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possibly the most exciting/dangerous vacation ever..

“You know,” Peter sighed, looking over to Tony, sitting next to him in the car. “you still haven't told me the reason for this little trip.”

“You know, it’s Europe.” The older man shrugged as the car pulled up outside the luxurious hotel. “Whatever happens in the next..half hour or so, just go with it. It’ll be fine.”

“I highly doubt that.” Peter followed his boss out of the car, the gathered crowd cheering as Tony saluted them before heading into the hotel. 

When Tony had asked Peter to pack a bag and get ready to leave for Monaco, a tiny, insignificant, part of the brunette had hoped that..

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Parker, it’s good to see you.” Natalie smiled, approaching them as they accepted the drinks presented before them by a waiter.

“Likewise, Natalie.” Peter smiled, his heart dropping just a little as Tony smiled over at the redhead. 

“I trust your flight was comfortable?” Natalie smiled, folding her hands in front of her.

“Very much so,” Tony nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “too bad you couldn’t have been there.”

“If you don’t mind,” The redhead gently took the drinks from their hands, placing them back on the tray. “We have a photographer from the ACM, we need a couple of photos.”

“Oh,” Peter lightly scratched his neck.”I don’t..” He knew that Tony making him the CEO would inevitably lead to things like this, but he just felt tired and like he really needed a shower and-”

“Hey,” Tony murmured softly, leaning in closer to the younger man and drawing his attention. “just a couple of pictures, you look great.”

Looking up into warm, deep brown eyes, Peter nodded softly, Tony gently wrapping his arm around the younger man’s waist as they smiled for the photos.

“Great,” Natalie smiled, “if you’d like to follow me.”

Tony fell into step beside the redhead, the two of them talking about the itinerary as Peter walked behind them, gently smoothing out his suit and catching his breath.

“This us?” Tony asked as they approached a corner table by the window, overlooking the race track.

“It can be, if you wish.” Natalie nodded, beckoning over a waiter.

“Great,” Tony smiled, turning his attention to Peter. “well I think we need a drink while we’re waiting.”

“I don’t see why not.” Peter smiled, giving a nod to Natalie before heading to the bar, not at all affected when Tony gently wrapped his arm around his waist while they walked.

“I meant to say,” Tony sighed softly as they approached the bar, leaning against it. “I’m sorry for springing this all on you at the last minute, but you’re really..taking it in stride.” 

“Well it’s..” Peter shrugged softly, looking over to his boss. “it’s my job.”

“Even so,” Tony smiled, his eyes focused on the brunette. “I feel like I should make it up to you somehow, what would you say to u-” The older man paused, frowning as Peter cleared his throat, throwing on a very false smile.

“Anthony, there you are.”

Peter bit back a smile as Tony rolled his eyes, looking over to the man beside them. 

“How are you? You know you’re not the only rich guy here with a fancy car,” Justin Hammer smirked, looking back and beckoning someone before turning around. “Have you met Christine Everheart? You guys..” He gestured his fingers together somewhat crudely as the blonde reporter approached. “know each other?”

“Yes, hi, we do.” The blonde smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she approached them.

“Somewhat.” Tony shrugged as Peter kept the smile plastered onto his face.

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Everheart.”

“Oh hey,” Justin gestured over to Peter, letting out a small laugh. “how could I forget about your promotion, CEO of Stark Industries. That’s quite a step up. Kudos.”

“Yes,” The blonde nodded, smiling over at Peter. “actually if you don’t mind, I’d love to grab a quote for our thirty under thirty issue.”

“Oh, well,” Peter looked over to Tony, the older man giving hima small smile. “sure, yeah.”

“Well she’s actually doing a big spread on me, for Vanity Fair.” Justin smiled, looking over at the blonde next to him before turning back to Peter and Tony. “I just thought I’d..repay the favour, well, so to speak.”

“I see,” Peter nodded, holding one arm in front of the other. “she certainly did quite a spread on Tony last year.”

“Mm,” Tony nodded, looking over to the blonde. “wrote a story too. Multitalented, this one.”

“Thank you.” Christine smiled politely, the air surrounding them churning with an awkwardness Peter was desperate to escape from.

“I think I’m gonna go check in with Natalie.” Peter smiled, biting his lip softly as Tony gently squeezed his wrist before letting him go.

Finding the redhead by the now unoccupied corner table, Peter approached her with a smile, taking a moment to recover.

“Ah, Mr. Parker,” Natalie turned to him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was just about to come and find you and Mr. Stark.” 

“Peter, please,” The brunette smiled, waving a hand. “Tony is currently caught up with Justin Hammer, I don’t think he’d mind if you went to rescue him.”

“Right away.” The redhead nodded, heading to get Tony while Peter sat down, glancing over to the TV on the wall, a handsome blonde news reporter covering the Grand Prix.

When neither Natalie or Tony returned after almost half an hour, a horrible, bitter feeling formed in Peter’s stomach, only exacerbated when he looked over to the TV and saw what appeared to be Tony in full racing attire, down on the track.

“Glancing around the restaurant Peter finally laid eyes on Natalie, waving over to the redhead.”

“Yes, Mr. Parker?” The redhead walked over to the table, clasping her hands together.“Can I get you anything?”

“Do you know anything about _that_?” Peter asked, gesturing over to the TV, where Tony was talking to a reporter. 

“I’m afraid not,” Natalie sighed. “this is the first I’ve seen of it.”

“I swear that man is an overgrown child at times,” Peter ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. Somehow, somewhere, he knew that Pepper just knew what was happening, half expecting a phone call from a very pregnant woman reprimanding him for not keeping Tony in line. “we need to stop him.”

“Of course,” Natalie nodded, looking over to the TV with a frown. “How can I help you?”

“Do you know where Happy is?” Peter asked, panic rising in him. Tony had done many stupid things since Peter had started working for him, too numerous to count, but this was too far.

“He’s waiting outside.” Natalie explained, snapping the brunette back to reality.

“Okay,” Peter nodded, taking a breath. “could you please go and get him for me?

“Right away.” Natalie nodded, sweeping out of the room as Peter watched the TV, his heart threatening to fly out of his chest with worry. The race began, the sound of the cars echoing from outside, Peter glancing to the door for any sign of Happy. 

Everything fell away around Peter as he watched a man dressed in an orange intervention jumpsuit walk out onto the track, the material beginning to burn away as he brandished two whips, crackling with energy, lifting one and lashing it against a car, sending it hurtling into the air.

Once he managed to get some semblance of breath back, Peter looked over to the door, finding Happy waiting with the red Iron Man case. Practically running across the restaurant, the two of them headed out to the car, Peter quickly sliding into the backseat as Happy sped off towards the track.

“Hang on tight.” Happy shouted, Peter bracing himself as the car burst onto the track, cars speeding past them.

“Pass me the case,” Peter regained his balance sitting up and leaning forward as Happy grabbed the suitcase, maneuvering it back to the brunette. “thanks. Where’s the key?”

“Hang on, it’s in my-”

_“Car!”_ Peter yelled, bracing himself as Happy swerved, gripping onto the window handle for dear life as the car sped up, crashing into the chain link fence, straight into the man with the whips, Tony clinging onto the top part of the fence before climbing down, walking over to Happy.

Catching his breath and trying to calm down, Peter ran a hand through his hair, trying to process what just happened as Tony approached the window. 

“Tony,” The younger man breathed, moving over to the seat by the window. “are you okay?”

“I’m fine, fine,” Tony muttered, running a hand over his face “we just..need some better security, evidently.”

“Then get in the car,” Peter insisted, waving his hand. “we need to get out of here!”

Tony muttered to himself as he walked around, Peter sitting back and looking over to the door, letting out a gasp as Tony went to open it and it just..fell away.

“What the fuck just happened?!” Peter yelled, clinging on as Happy quickly reversed, before slamming into the man with the whips once more, repeating the process until the airbag inflated, and a whip crashed down the centre of the car, Peter clinging onto the door handle and trying to keep calm. He could hear Tony yelling something at him, the crowd screaming, everything blurring in his head as he looked over beside him, grabbing it and throwing it out of the car, a searing pain forming in his head, lifting his hand to his scalp and taking it away to see blood smeared on it.

Looking out through the smoke, he saw Tony getting into the suit, taking a breath before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know some of you may be asking, 'Where's the Elon Musk scene??' but I just didn't feel the need to include it, I hope you'll forgive me 🙈
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented/bookmarked, it means the world ❤️❤️


	12. XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony reflects on his actions and his feelings for Peter..

"So it turns out," Tony sighed, setting the brown polyester cup down on the ground beside him. "hospital coffee is terrible all over the world."

Sitting back in the soft grey chair, Tony looked over to the bed, watching Peter sleeping peacefully, his mussed curls framing his face and covering the stitches on the left side of his forehead. 

"I was just thinking,” He murmured, picking at an invisible thread on his jeans. “about when you were first starting out as my assistant, it seems so long ago now. I remember this one day, I think it was your first week, still all wide eyed and eager, not so much now, huh? Now that you know what I'm really like.” Tony let out a soft laugh, if only to try and drown out the guilt flooding him.

"But anyway, it was your first week,” Tony continued, looking over to the younger man. “and I remember I asked you if you could grab me a cup of coffee, and you were busy with something else so you got a little snarky and told me to get it myself. You apologised later, of course, because you're too damn sincere for your own good. But you snapping at me proved to me I was right about you. I mean, I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were the one for..” The older man cleared his throat, looking down at his lap. “the job, but that really cemented it."

"I'm sorry, Pete." Tony leaned forward, clasping his hands together and letting out a deep sigh. "it's my fault you're here, I was being an idiot, and all I did was hurt you. Your aunt is gonna kill me, and I can't blame her."

Sitting back in the chair, Tony rubbed his jaw, looking over to Peter. The older man hadn’t cared about hurting himself, he knew the risks. Hell, he was dying anyway, there were worse ways to go. But getting Peter involved, putting him in harm’s way and almost losing him was..something Tony would never do again. 

"Peter, I.." 

_"Tony?"_ Peter murmured softly, his eyes slowly blinking open and looking over to the older man.

"Well,” Tony swallowed a breath, his heart racing. “looks like I'm safe from your aunt's wrath, for now."

"May?” Peter frowned, his eyes going wide. “You didn't tell her what happened, did you? Because she'd only worry and-" 

"Hey, easy, easy," Tony rose from the chair, moving over to the bed and gently resting his hand on Peter’s arm. "she doesn't know, nobody does. Getting you here was quite a covert operation."

"Are you okay?” Peter asked, slowly easing himself up into a sitting position, the light blue hospital gown slipping down his shoulder, Tony reluctantly averting his eyes. “The last thing I remember is smoke and screaming and-" 

"Pete, I'm fine,” Tony nodded. “and so are you, still in one piece. Accidentally getting my new CEO seriously injured wouldn't be a great look, even for me."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Peter sighed, reaching out and touching Tony’s arm. Only Peter could be in a hospital bed and worry about someone else, Tony thought to himself. Even his idiot boss who put him there. 

"I'm absolutely perfect, as long as you're safe." Tony smiled softly, gently touching Peter’s hand on his arm. 

“Tony, I..” Peter looked up at him, his honey brown eyes bright and beautiful and-

"Ah, Monsieur Parker, you’re awake." 

Tony turned to find one of the doctors walking into the room, smiling over at them as he closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed.

“You know what,” Tony cleared his throat, checking his watch. “I actually have somewhere I need to be, I’ll be back soon.” 

“Okay,” Peter nodded, and Tony pushed down the uncomfortable feeling that rose in him when he saw the disappointment in the younger man’s eyes. “I’ll see you later.”

—

_‘It’s just unbelievable. It proves that the genie is out of the bottle and this man has no idea what he’s doing. He thinks of the Iron Man weapon as a toy. I was at a hearing where Mr Stark, in fact, was adamant that these suits can’t exist anywhere else, don’t exist anywhere else, never will exist anywhere else, at least for five to ten years, and here we are in Monaco realising, these suits exist now.’_

“Mute.” Tony sighed, walking past the TV and sitting down across from Peter, placing the plate in his hand down on the table between them. “I should be getting a medal from him, that’s a fact.”

“What’s this for?” Peter asked, gesturing to the sandwich in front of him. 

“I thought you might be hungry.” Tony shrugged, sitting back in the leather seat and folding his arms.

“You didn’t have to.” Peter gave a small smile, resting his hands on the table.

“Well it’s too late now, I already did.” Tony insisted, Peter letting out a gentle sigh and looking over at the older man, his eyes full of concern.

“Tony, what’s going on with you?”

“Honestly?” Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing over to the window. He was tempted to tell Peter, but he couldn’t face it just yet. “I don’t want to go home. Why don’t we cancel my birthday party and just stay here, we’re in Europe, we could just take a vacation, a real one. Anywhere you want. I owe you that much, particularly after..” Tony looked over to the brunette, gesturing to his forehead. 

“I’m fine.” Peter insisted, shifting slightly in his seat. “I just don’t think this is the best time for a vacation, we’re in the middle of a media frenzy and there’s so much to deal with and..”

“And maybe that’s why it’s the best time.” Tony raised his hands, cocking his head slightly. “We can take some time out, just the two of us.”

For a moment, Peter looked as though he was considering it, a smiletugging at the corner of the brunette’s lips before he shook his head

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before appointing me as the CEO.”

“Well you see as the CEO, you are entitled to a leave, we can call it..a retreat, or some other official sounding thing.” Tony smiled, leaning forward on the table. 

“How would that look? The two of us..” Peter flushed ever so slightly, Tony enjoying it immensely, as he always did when Peter’s professional veneer slipped away. “going away together. Retreat or otherwise.”

“Just a few days, nobody would even know. We can just take some time to figure it all out.” Tony leaned closer, gently taking Peter’s hand in his own.

“We can’t, Tony. Not right now.” The brunette sighed, turning his head to look out the window, the soft sunlight casting an ethereal glow across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to give a little insight into Tony's perspective, change things up a little 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed it, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented/left kudos/bookmarked, you're all dolls 🎉😍


	13. XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's antics have left Peter dealing with the fallout.

"Well yes, I understand that," Peter nodded, rolling his eyes as he switched the phone in his hand to his other ear. "but as I said, despite the events in Monaco, the fundamentals of the company are still very very strong."

"One moment, please," Natalie turned to him, placing her hand over her phone. “The AP is looking for a quote.”

“Mmhm, I hear you,” Peter nodded, moving his phone away from his ear and covering the speaker, looking over to the other side of the couch at the redhead. "email them over something, don't say anything on the phone."

“Hey,” 

Peter and Natalie looked across the living room,finding Rhodey walking over to them.

“Is he here?”

“Mr. Stark doesn’t wish to be disturbed.” Natalie looked back to the file in her hand, Peter running a hand through his hair.

"It's okay,” The brunette smiled over at Rhodey. “he’s downstairs." 

With a nod, the man headed downstairs, Peter’s attention being drawn to the TV as he pressed his phone back to his ear. 

_‘Are we getting the full picture as to the events that occurred in Monaco? Rumors are rife about Stark’s mental state, with many spec-’_

“Yes, well I know that,” Peter sighed, running a hand over his face. “but.."

_‘..yet his continuing erratic behaviour may lead many people to ask themselves, “Can this man still protect us?’_

“It’s a blatant lie,” Peter shook his head. “Iron Man never stopped protecting us, and the events that occurred in Monaco prove that. It’s not disputable.” 

Hanging up the phone and letting out a breath, Peter looked over to Natalie, meeting the redhead’s eye.

"I need a break, you wanna get a cup of coffee?"

—

"Sometimes I think Tony just enjoys making my life difficult," Peter frowned, leaning back against the plastic booth, taking a sip of his coffee. "like it's a hobby for him."

"Well you certainly do a good job of keeping him in line." Natalie smiled, arching a delicate brow as she gently blew on her coffee. 

"It's taken a lot of practice,” Peter rolled his eyes slightly, setting his cup down.“I mean he can just be so _infuriating_ at times and-" He paused as he noticed Natalie looking at him with a slight smirk, her head tilted slightly “what is it?" 

"Oh, nothing." The redhead smiled, taking a sip of coffee as Peter bit back a blush.

"I suppose we should be getting back,” The brunette cleared his throat, draining the last of his coffee. “no doubt there's a whole new pile of fires to put out."

—

“Okay, see you tomorrow, Natalie.” Peter waved over to the redhead, closing down his laptop and setting it on the coffee table.

Standing up and stretching slightly, Peter reached down and picked his jacket up from the couch, letting out a soft yawn as he slid it on. He lightly ruffled his hair before heading for the door, a sudden thought stopping him before he could leave.

"JARVIS?" He asked, lightly scratching his neck. "has Tony had dinner?" 

"Mr. Stark has not yet eaten today." The AI responded, sounding, if it was even possible, a little snippy and fed up.

"Alright, thanks J." Peter nodded, Shuffling off his jacket and walking over to lay it down on the couch. Rolling up his shirt sleeves, the brunette quickly smoothed out his shirt before heading into the kitchen. 

He was the first to admit he wasn't exactly a chef, or even in possession of any impressive culinary skills, but he managed to throw together a fairly simple stir-fry, dishing it onto a plate and placing seran wrap over it. 

Once he arrived down in the workshop, Peter couldn't find Tony, setting the plate down on the desk and walking further into the workshop, finding Tony walking towards him, wiping his hands with a rag. 

"Hey."

"Hey," Peter smiled softly, gently ruffling his hair. "I'm just finishing up for the night, thought I'd check in."

"Well I'm clearly swamped," Tony smirked, tossing the rag over his shoulder and folding his arms. "how are things going?" 

"It's been a long day, but..when isn't it?” Peter raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes playfully. “we made some progress."

"You know, it's not too late to take up my retreat offer." Tony grinned, gently nudging the brunette as he walked past him,moving over to his desk. 

"Maybe some other time." Peter walked behind his boss, smiling to himself. 

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind." Tony sat down behind the desk, stretching his arms upward before looking over at the plate. “What’s this?”

"I thought you might be hungry,” Peter smiled, his eyes lingering on the olderman for a moment before heading for the door. “goodnight, Tony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a fun chapter to write as a lot of it was just my own 'filling in the blanks', and of course I couldn't resist these two being idiots when it comes their feelings 🙈
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you thought, it's always lovely to hear from you ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked, you're all far too kind 😍😍


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tony's birthday, and Peter is in no mood to celebrate..

Any and all suspicions Peter had that something was going on with Tony were completely compounded when he arrived at the house for Tony’s birthday party and found it already in full swing, with Tony already beyond drunk.

Standing back from the crowd, Peter folded his arms as he watched Tony, in full Iron Man regalia, making a complete idiot of himself. Not that any of the guests cared, too excited by the spectacle. Deciding to take a minute out, Peter went to head outside, bumping into Rhodey on his way. 

“Hey, Pete.” The older man smiled, gently patting Peter’s back.

"Rhodey, hey," Peter smiled softly, gesturing to the door. "I’ll be right back, I just need to take a breather." 

“Are you feeling okay?” Rhodey asked, frowning slightly as Peter looked over to Tony.

“I’ll be fine,” Peter pursed his lips slightly, gesturing over to Tony, in full showboating mode, the crowd going wild. “I just don’t know how to handle _that_ situation.” 

“Tell me he's not up there-" Rhodey began, rolling his eyes as Tony tripped and fell over himself. “alright that's enough, I'm putting in a call."

"Wait, no,” Peter insisted as Rhodey took out his phone. “don't call anyone, please."

“Peter, look at him.” The older man sighed, gesturing over to Tony, now back on his feet, somewhat. “I just stuck my neck out for that idiot and he's throwing it straight back in my face.”

“I know, and I can't apologise enough on his behalf," Peter ran a hand over his face, taking a breath. "I'll deal with it, give me a minute.”

“Please, deal with it." Rhodey nodded, folding his arms. "Before I have to.”

Walking around the side of the room, Peter shuddered slightly as he tried to process the fact that Tony had literally just peed himself in the suit. Throwing on a quick smile as he approached Tony, Peter let out a soft laugh as he gently touched the older man’s back, easing the microphone from his hands.

“Is this an amazing party or what? Tony Stark, everyone!” The brunette smiled, his cheeks beginning to hurt from the forceful nature of it.

“God I love you,” Tony leaned into him, his breath hot and reeking of alcohol.

"Wow," Peter nodded, trying to stay calm and not let himself feel the aggravation bubbling up inside him. The last thing he needed was Tony being a sarcastic idiot, particularly while drunk. “Well, Tony, we all owe you a big thank you for such a wonderful party," The brunette looked out to the cheering crowd, lightly patting Tony’s back. "and now it's time to say goodnight, thank you all so much for coming to celebrate with us."

“No, no, no, we can’t do that,” Tony insisted, his face leaning in close to Peter’s, his voice dropping low. “there’s cake, somewhere, we need to do the..candles, wish, all that,”

“You’re being ridiculous, okay?” Peter whispered, keeping the smile plastered onto his face. “Trust me, we need to wrap this up."

“Well, you’re ridiculously _beautiful_.” Tony smiled, Peter sighing softly, shaking his head subtly. 

“I think you need to go to bed, let's go.” Peter whispered, determined not to drag the situation out for longer than necessary. 

“Only if you come with me,” Tony grinned, his eyes glazed as he leaned in closer, Peter leaning back slightly. “come on, you know you want to.”

“Tony,” Peter whispered, looking into the older man’s eyes. “you're being an idiot.”

“Come on, I see the way you look at me,” Tony winked, Peter feeling an uncomfortable heat rising in his cheeks, swallowing a breath.

“You do realise you just _peed yourself?_ ” Peter raised an eyebrow, taking a step back.

“I didn't, really, the suit has a filtration system.” Tony shrugged as Peter nodded, rolling his eyes slightly.

“It’s not exactly alluring,” Peter gently tapped Tony’s back, smiling tightly. "let's just get everybody home, okay? It's time to wind down.

“If you insist.” Tony shrugged, steeping back. 

“Great, here," Peter gave Tony the microphone, taking the bottle of champagne from the older man’s hand. "take this.”

“Peter Parker, everyone,” Tony moved forward, gesturing back to the brunette. “he makes a good point. The party is indeed over. But then, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago. The after-party starts in 15 minutes,” The crowd erupted into cheers as Peter let out a sigh, clasping his hands in front of himself. “and if anybody, _Peter_ ,” Tony turned back to the younger man with a grin before looking back to the crowd. “doesn’t like it, the door is right-”

Peter let out a gasp as Tony shot right through the door, glass shattering everywhere. He looked over to Rhodey as various guests began throwing bottles for Tony to hit, glass flying everywhere. With a nod, Rhodey walked out, Peter leaving the room and heading to leave, having had more than enough for one night. 

As he was walking through the house, guests milling about everywhere, there was a loud crashing sound, coming from the living room. Spotting Natalie, he exchanged a curious look with the redhead, before the ceiling above them cracked, Tony and Rhodey crashing through and landing in a heap on the floor, people beginning to run and scream, debris falling everywhere.

“Natalie, are you okay?” Peter called, moving back and wiping the dust off himself, the redhead nodding and moving over to him.

“I'm fine, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m-” Peter jumped back as Tony and Rhodey began fighting, he heavy armour encasing them clanging loudly.

“Peter!”

Happy’s voice cut through the noise, the bodyguard grabbing Peter’s attention. 

“You need to get out of here, come on,” Happy insisted, Peter nodding and giving one last glance at Tony before heading out into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is an idiot when it comes to feelings, that's just a fact, I'm sorry 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know, it means the world 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented, left kudos,bookmarked, you're all wonderful to do so ❤️❤️


	15. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony (attempts to) apologise to Peter, but the CEO isn't exactly thrilled at the prospect..or is he?

Walking through the destroyed living room, Peter let out a sigh, picking bits of rubble up and tossing them out of his path.

“I don’t think it looks that bad.” Tony shrugged.

“Oh how I would love to live in your world.” Peter raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

“I think we’ve established the damage,” Tony let out a yawn, stretching his arms up above his head before letting them fall loose by his side. “why don’t we take a break? I feel like a donut, you wanna come with?”

"While I'm glad that me taking on all your responsibilities has freed you up for such _important_ events." Peter mused, rolling his eyes slightly. “I have work to do. I’ll see you later, Tony.”

"Double glazed," Tony called after the brunette as he left, Peter raising his hand and maybe making a certain gesture. "anything you want."

-

“I know, I can’t wait to see you too,” Peter smiled, sitting back in the chair and running a hand through his hair. “yeah, we made plans to meet up and go for dinner. I know, it’s been way too long, I’m really excited. Yeah, I’ll see you then. Love you too.”

Hanging up the phone, Peter smiled as he saw a text from Pepper, a photo of the blonde holding up the tiny yellow baby boots Peter had sent her.

_‘These are too precious! Thank you Peter, I love them. I hope the interviews went well?’_

_‘I know they’ll grow out of them in two minutes but I couldn’t resist! The interviews were good, I managed to find a really great girl who I actually knew in college. It felt really weird to be the one doing the interviewing, I still remember you interviewing me, it feels like it was yesterday!’_

With everything that had happened, Peter hadn’t even thought about the fact that he’d need his own PA, setting a morning aside to find some candidates. It had been strange to be on the other side of the situation, having people telling him they admired his career and would love to work for him.

Eventually, he’d met Zoe, a former classmate of his from his college days. They’d had some mutual friends and instantly hit it off once they met again. Zoe, despite her outward appearance of luscious long blonde hair and big, innocent blue eyes, had a wicked sense of humour and was a huge movie and general pop culture nerd, Peter instantly loving her. Plus, she was more than qualified, with an honours degree and years of experience with various multinational corporations.

As Peter was tucking his phone into his pocket, the office door opened, Zoe appearing in her perfectly tailored red dress, adjusting her thick framed glasses, an annoyed look on her face.

“Everything okay?” Peter asked, his question being answered as Tony waltzed in after the blonde, giving her a wink as he walked over to the desk, setting down a small red box with a gold ribbon wrapped around it.

“He just barged in, insisting he needed to see you.” Zoe folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.

“Thank you, Zoe,” Peter sighed, giving the blonde a tight smile. “I’ll handle Mr. Stark.”

“She’s pretty,” Tony smirked, looking back as the office door closed. “where’d you find her?”

“Did you want something, Tony? I’m trying to run a company here.” Peter sighed, looking over at the older man.

“Well, yes,” Tony nodded, turning back to look at Peter. “I was just passing by and thought I’d drop in and say hi.”

“Is that it?” Peter folded his arms, not in the mood to deal with Tony’s nonsense.

“Alright, I may have come to apologise too, hence..” Tony gestured to the box on the table. “because I may have been a complete idiot lately.”

“You have or you haven’t, make up your mind.” Peter rolled his eyes, ignoring the smirk that crossed Tony’s face.

“I have,” The older man sighed, leaning forward on the desk. “and I want to apologise. I haven’t really been honest with you lately and I admit, it’s probably not the smartest thing I’ve ever done, I can’t just expect that you’ll put up with my stupid decisions just because I..”

“Can I just interrupt you, for a second?” Peter held up a hand, moving the chair closer to the desk. “because if you say ‘I’ once more I won’t hesitate to tape your mouth shut.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Tony grinned, Peter shaking his head.

"Tony.." Peter ran a hand over his face, ready to call for Tony to be thrown out.

"Pete, just..let me apologise,” Tony sighed, standing up and walking around to where the younger man was sitting, moving the chair around to face him. “I've been an idiot lately, and you're the one who has to keep coming in after me and cleaning up my messes. It's not fair to you, and it’s not what you deserve and..” The older man ran a hand through his hair, letting out a soft laugh. “you have no idea how much I..appreciate you, and how much I need you and I just..keep making a huge mess of things, when what I’m trying to say is..this.”

Before Peter could respond, Tony placed his hands on the arms of the chair, leaning down and pressing his lips against the younger man’s, softly and slowly.

Just as Peter felt himself begin to melt into the kiss, there was a knock on the door, causing him to pull back back from Tony like he’d been electrocuted, quickly clearing his throat as Natalie walked in.

“Mr Parker?” The redhead smiled softly, glancing between the two men at the desk, Tony leaning his hand down on the surface and failing miserably at looking nonchalant as Peter quickly turned his chair back to face the door.

“Natalie, hi.” Peter threw on a smile, cursing the blush on his face as the redhead stepped aside to let Happy follow her into the room. 

Because more people in the room was just what Peter needed, his blush rising. Particularly as he just _knew_ Tony had a huge smirk on his face. 

“Just to let you know, wheels up in 25 minutes.” Natalie informed him.

“Thank you, that’s great.” Peter smiled, giving the redhead a nod and refusing to look over at Tony, despite feeling the man’s gaze on him.

“Will there be anything else, boss?” Happy asked, looking over to the desk.

“Oh, no, I’ll just be-”

“I’m good, Hap.” 

Raising an eyebrow, Peter gave Tony a quick glance, the older man looking back at him with slight surprise.

“Wow, so I lost both kids, huh?” Tony shook his head, looking over to Natalie as she walked over to Peter, walking over and handing him his travel documents, and a couple of things to sign before he left. “How are you settling in, Natalie? It’s Natalie, right?”

Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes, offering the redhead beside him an apologetic smile.

“Here I was thinking you two didn’t like each other,” Tony mused, Peter letting out a soft breath. How Tony could have him going from feeling like he was in heaven to feeling like he wanted to slap the man was an incredible talent. “or maybe it’s just _me_ you don’t care for, Natalie?”

“I wouldn’t blame her,” Peter smiled, handing the necessary paperwork back to the redhead before looking over at Tony. “though since you’re here maybe you could decide what you want to do with all that.”

“Maybe I could.”

“Try not to do anything too stupid while I’m gone.”

“No promises, enjoy your trip.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may have gone a little..off-script, so to speak, but I can't deal with how slow paced the romance is in the movies! 😒😂
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, apologies it took me so long to get this posted! ❤️❤️


	16. XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter spends some time back in New York.

“Everything okay?”

Zoe’s voice snapped Peter from his thoughts, the redhead sitting down in the seat opposite him, tightening her ponytail.

“Hm? Yeah, everything’s fine, thank you.” Peter smiled softly, lightly rubbing his neck. 

“I’m sorry again about Mr. Stark just barging in like that, I know you have enough on your plate already.” The blonde sighed, opening her laptop.

“Well Natalie can deal with him for a day or two, I’ve put in enough time cleaning up after Tony Stark.” Peter sighed, excusing himself as he went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and letting out a breath.

He’d kissed Tony. Or maybe Tony had kissed him. It just.. _happened_ , and..it was good. It was _wrong_ , but good.

Splashing some cold water on his face, Peter took a minute to calm his mind down before going back out to join Zoe. 

The sooner he got to New York better.

-

It had been late when they’d landed, and by the time they were checked into the hotel Peter was more than willing to just have a shower, order room service and crash into bed. Once he’d checked with Natalie that Tony hadn’t managed to sink the company or blow up more of his own home, Peter felt safe enough to do just that.

-

For his first day off in a long while, there was only one place Peter wanted to be, and it was a thrill to wake up in New York for the first time in too long. He managed to convince Zoe that she was indeed free to spend the day doing what she pleased, and he was fine on his own. 

Happy, on the other hand, wasn’t so easily convinced. Despite Peter’s insistence that he’d be fine to just run over to Queens for the morning, Happy reminded him, not unkindly, that he was a CEO to a major company now. Gone were the days of Peter jumping on the train in his worn-out sneakers, cursing that his headphones were on the blink, now he was sitting in the back of a car that cost more than his apartment, and even though he was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt they still cost more than he cared to think about.

Pulling up outside May’s apartment, a tingle shot down Peter’s spine. He hadn’t been able to visit for so long, and despite often talking to May on the phone and facetiming her, it was totally different to actually get to see her in person.

He managed to convince Happy that nothing would happen if he waited outside, heading into the building before the bodyguard could change his mind.

Walking up the familiar stairs, Peter couldn’t keep the smile off his face. It even had the same smell, like laundered clothes and something lemon-y that May had always said was just in Peter’s mind but the brunette was convinced it was there.

Before long, he was standing in front of his old front door, barely knocking twice before the door flew open and he had a screaming aunt flinging herself into his arms.

They’d made plans to go out for lunch but decided to just stay in, May throwing some sandwiches together and the two of them spending the afternoon laughing and hugging and just catching up with each other. 

Before he left, May gave him a neatly wrapped small blue box, insisting that Peter take it, giving him a warm hug and promising to accept his offer to fly her out for a visit anytime before he headed back to the hotel.

-

After a very luxurious afternoon treating himself to a massage and forgetting about everything for a couple of hours, Peter was more than ready to go out and catch up with his friends. 

He had a long bath, ignoring the thoughts that popped into his head of a certain someone, taking his time getting dressed and putting on the beautiful black leather watch May had given him (which he knew was far more than she could afford, sending her a grateful text and making a note to get a very nice thank-you gift).

A text from Natalie came in as he was leaving, informing him that everything was running smoothly, and Tony was staying in line. That was all Peter needed to go out and enjoy himself.

-

It was a much more emotionally charged reunion than Peter had been expecting, but it was just so overwhelming to finally get to meet up with MJ and Ned, the three of them having gone without actually being together for longer than any of them cared to admit.

MJ had been busy travelling the world as an acclaimed photographer, while Ned had been scooped up out of college by one of the leading tech magnates in New York, all of them busy with hectic professional lives.

But, in a chilled out jazz bar downtown, they finally had time to just catch up, the three of them falling back into place like they’d never been apart.

Peter offered to take both of them to the Stark Expo with him the following night, but MJ had an early flight the next morning and Ned had already been and had a work event the next night. They made plans to get together again as soon as they could, and Peter felt like he was floating on a cloud as he returned to the hotel.

Until, that is, he realised he had a missed call from Tony.

“ _Please don’t have blown something up_..Tony, hi.” 

“Pete, always a pleasure.”

“What have I missed?” Peter asked, flopping down onto the bed and reaching for the remote to click on the TV.

“What, I can’t just check in with the CEO of my company?”

“You can,” Peter raised an eyebrow, settling back against the headboard and kicking off his shoes. “but do I want to hear what you have to say?”

“I haven’t done anything, don’t worry,” The older man laughed, the sound tickling Peter’s ear. “Natalie has been keeping me well and truly in line.”

“Well it’s her job, right?” Peter asked, ignoring the warm feeling creeping through him.

“True,” Tony agreed. “but she’s not as..she’s a lot more..”

“Is there something wrong with her?” Peter tried not to think too much about the answer, shifting slightly on the bed as he ran his foot along his leg lightly.

“She’s..” Tony sighed softly. “not you.”

“Oh,” Peter swallowed a breath, quickly clearly his throat and clutching at his professional demeanor. “well she’s excellent at her job, that’s what matters.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. How’s New York?”

“It’s been really good,” Peter nodded, forcing down the warmth rapidly spreading through his body. “I met up with my aunt, and had dinner with my friends and went out for a while.”

“It’s about time you took some time for yourself. You’ve been doing a great job, better than I ever did.” Tony laughed gently, Peter smiling softly to himself.

“I wouldn’t say that”

“Well neither would I but it’s nice to be polite.” Tony’s smirk was evident even through the phone, Peter rolling his eyes slightly, the smile stuck on his face.

“Oh shut up, Tony.” 

“I’m kidding,” The older man laughed, letting out a soft breath. “anyway, I’m sure you have better things to do in New York on a Friday night than talk to me.”

“Well..” Peter glanced over to the large window, the dark sky illuminated with the twinkling, enticing city lights. “I think I could make some time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More off-scripting! 🎉😄
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented/left kudos/bookmarked so far, it's so so appreciated 🥰🥰


	17. XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stark Expo presents a night Peter will never forget..

“We’re leaving in ten minutes, Peter.” Zoe smiled, poking her head through the door as Peter finished putting on his shoes, standing up from the bed with a nod.

He’d had a busy day, particularly as he’d only woken up at noon (he and Tony may have been on the phone until the early hours, losing all track of time) and had to catch up on some actual work, spending the day in his room glued to his laptop.

Tony and Natalie were due to be flying in for the Expo, but so far he hadn’t heard from either of them, trying not to let the thought bother him.

Checking himself in the mirror, Peter quickly smoothed out his black suit, made sure his hair was somewhat tamed, and gave himself a small nod before heading out the door.

-

“Natalie,” Peter smiled, seeing the redhead standing by the car talking to Happy. “it’s good to see you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Parker,” Natalie smiled politely, turning towards the brunette. “I hope you’ve had a pleasant trip?”

“Very much so,” Peter nodded, raising an eyebrow. “is Tony not with you?”

“Mr. Stark had a prior engagement, he’ll be joining us later.” 

Peter wasn’t utterly convinced by the redhead’s tone, but decided to just get the evening started, nodding and getting into the back of the car. 

-

The Expo was every bit as grand and flashy and over-the-top as Peter had imagined, though he couldn’t help feeling a little impressed. They pulled up outside the main pavilion, Happy getting out and opening the door for Peter, Natalie and Zoe. 

“I’ll keep the car here, enjoy.” The bodyguard nodded, closing the door after they’d all exited.

“Thank you, Happy. We shouldn’t be too long.” Peter smiled, heading inside the building with the two women.

They found their seats, the pavilion already practically full, the stage brightly lit and awaiting the presentation that Peter wasn’t exactly enthused about watching.

Cheesy music began playing loudly, with Justin Hammer dancing (if it could even be called that) out onto the stage to give his presentation. Once he started talking about Iron Man in a disparaging way, Peter felt his eyes begin to roll into the back of his head, muttering under his breath as Zoe stifled a giggle beside him, Natalie’s lips quirking upwards. 

Hammer continued speaking before he presented an array of drones, representing the various branches of the military. They were..impressive, but nothing compared to what Tony had created.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Hammer continued, stepping forward on the stage and clasping his hands. “I am very proud to present to you here tonight the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit, and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.”

“Rhodey?” Peter frowned, clapping politely as he looked over to Natalie, the redhead giving him a polite shrug in return.

As Hammer went to continue, a loud whooshing sounded, the crowd's attention being drawn to none other than Iron Man, flying over the crowd and landing gracefully on the stage, the crowd standing in applause, thundering around the pavilion. Peter couldn’t help the smile on his face as he stood, gently biting his lower lip.

Tony and Rhodey waved to the crowd as Hammer continued speaking, but after a moment, Tony moved over to Hammer, talking to the man about something as the gun on the back of Rhodey’s suit whirred to life, focused on Tony. Peter instantly grabbed the hands of the two women either side of him. The drones on the stage all sprung to life, aiming directly at Tony,the suit lifting into the air and flying out of the building. 

Loud shots began firing from the drones up at the glass ceiling, raining shards down on the screaming crowd, Rhodey and several of the drones flying off. 

“Come on,” Natalie’s voice was in Peter’s ear, drawing the brunette’s attention. “follow me.”

Peter nodded, taking Zoe’s hand and following the redhead through the panicked crowd and down to the control area behind the stage, finding Hammer talking to the command team.

“Because he locked me out of the mainframe, Gary, that’s why, and-”

“Who’s locked you out of the mainframe?” Peter asked, frowning as he approached the man

“Hey, this is a restricted area,” Hammer sighed, waving his hand dismissively. “you need to get out of here, I’ve got this handled.”

“From what I just saw, you most certainly don’t,” Peter sighed, folding his arms. “This expo is attached to Tony Stark, and _my_ company, I won’t have an idiot like you bringing either of those things a bad name.”

“If Tony Stark hadn’t showed up in the first place this wouldn’t be happening. So, please,” The man held his hand up, rolling his eyes. “let me handle this, I’m sure you have better things to do, like sucking Tony’s di-”

“That’s it,” 

Before Peter could do anything, Natalie grabbed Hammer by the scruff of his neck, pushing him down on the desk and leaning over him, Peter taking out his phone and looking over to Zoe.

  
“Are you okay?” The blonde glared over to Hammer, Natasha pressing his face into the desk. 

“I’m fine,” Peter nodded, his blood boiling as he dialled 911. “I will be.”

Natalie let the man under her go, giving Peter a nod before heading away, the dispatch operator on the other end of the line answering.

“Hello, yes, I need NYPD, please.” Peter nodded, Hammer walking over to him and trying to stop him, Zoe stepping in and dragging the man back.

“Yes, Command Central, thank you.” Peter smiled, Hammer waving his hand as Zoe kept her hand on his shirt collar. 

“I was kidding earlier, come on, you don’t need to do this, we’re friends.”

“Great,” Peter nodded, walking over to a technician sitting at the desk. “as soon as you can, please.” 

Hanging up the phone, Peter turned to the technician, resting one hand on the desk. 

“Tell me everything, now.”

-

“Each set of the drones are communicating in their own unique language.” The technician explained, Peter nodding and looking at the screen before him, trying to make sense of it.

“Try to find one, and focus on it.”

“You might want to try Russian.” Hammer interjected, Peter looking over to him with a sigh.

“Could you shut him up, please?”

“With pleasure.” Zoe smiled, slapping her hand against the man’s mouth and keeping it there.

-

Peter’s heart was in his mouth as he waited, the technicians working on doing whatever they could, Peter stopped paying attention and insisted they just sort out the mess.

Tony was out there somewhere, an army of high-powered drones hunting him down and- 

“Yes, well, at least for now, I’m not dying. So, thank you.”

“Tony?” Peter flew over to the screen, not seeing any image but hearing the man’s voice, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. “is that you?”

“Hey, yeah it’s me. Are you al-”

“Did you just say you’re dying?” Peter asked, his hands frantically pushing down on the desk. “tell me I’m hearing things.”

“Well I’m not dying, so you clearly need to get your hearing checked.” 

“What do you mean you’re not..what’s going on?” Peter frowned, his head spinning and his heart pounding.

“I wanted to tell you, Pete, but I I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Wait, you _were_ actually dying? Why the hell didn’t you say something?” The younger man snapped, blinking back the tears that threatened to break the horizon.

“You didn’t let me, you never gave me a ch-”

“I’ll kill you _myself_ you idiot, why the-” 

“Hey, easy there lovebirds,” Natalie’s voice broke through. “You got incoming, Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you.”

“I’m on it. Pete?” The older man’s voice almost pleading. 

“Tony..” Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair. “are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just don’t want you to worry about me.” 

“Of course I’m going to worry, Tony, I l-” Peter suddenly became very aware of everyone else in the room, clearing his throat and forcing down the blush creeping onto his cheeks. “I can’t have you dying when I’ve only been the CEO for five minutes.”

“I’ll be fine, just sit tight, okay?”

“Be careful, Tony.”

-

Eventually, a squad of police officers arrived, walking towards them as Peter moved from the desk, gesturing to Hammer, still held in place by Zoe.

“That’s him, officers.”

“Excuse me?” Hammer blinked as Zoe moved back from him, folding her arms.

“You’re being placed under arrest, sir.” One of the officers approached him, Zoe moving to stand beside Peter and smiling at one of the officers, a pretty brunette with dark green eyes.

“Is this a joke?” Hammer laughed, the officer beside him taking out a pair of handcuffs. 

“Hands behind your back sir.”

“Oh I get it,” Hammer looked over to Peter as he was being cuffed, spitting onto the ground.“I see how it is. Playing the long game, blaming this on me? I respect that, but you know what?” 

“Thrill me.” Peter raised an eyebrow, giving the man a small smile.

“This isn’t over, if you think I’m a problem now you just wait.”

“I look forward to it, Hammer.” Peter waved, giving Zoe a smile before heading outside. 

-

“So when they arrived, I was thinking you should station them at the south, east and both west exits.” Peter explained to the two officers, letting out a breath at the sight of all the damage around him. 

“We shut down the 7 train in and out of Willets Point already.” One of the officers explained, Peter nodding and smoothing out his suit.

“Well in that case, have city buses there to ferry people to the operating lines.”

“Of course. Do you need a ride, sir?” The other officer offered, Peter shaking his head.

“Oh, no thanks,” “I’m gonna stay until the park is cleared.”

“Alright, have a good evening.”

One of the drones was now laying abandoned nearby, Peter approaching it and taking in the damage, the arms ripped off it, a leg missing. Not so impressive anymore.

A strange beeping sounded, a red light beginning to flash in the chest of the drone, Peter letting out a gasp and stumbling back. As the beeping got louder, and Peter’s heart rate increased, he felt something wrap around him, lifting him into the sky as the drone exploded, parts scattering everywhere as Peter let out a yelp, clinging onto what he quickly realised was Tony.

“Oh my god,” The brunette breathed as they landed on the roof, Tony gently taking off his helmet and ruffling his hair. “are you okay?” 

“I’m okay.” The older man shrugged, Peter stepping closer and resting his hands on Tony’s shoulders, examining the man’s face. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Tony laughed softly, his eyes focusing on Peter. “I’m sure.”

“Good,” The brunette nodded, moving his hands to rest on Tony’s face and drawing the man in for a soft kiss, everything else falling away as Tony’s arms wrapped around his waist.

“ _Never_ ,” Peter whispered, pulling away and looking up at the older man. “scare me like that again.”

“No promises.” Tony grinned, Peter shaking his head. 

“Tony I swear to-”

Another kiss was claimed, this time by Tony. It was the most passionate they’d had, Peter feeling like nothing else mattered in the world except for the two of them, moving his hands to tangle in Tony’s hair, letting out a soft moan as Tony’s tongue gently licked into his mouth.

“Oh,” The older man pulled back, a soft smile on his face. “I forgot to ask, did you open the present yet?”

“I completely forgot about it, to be honest.” Peter sighed softly, the smile now permanent on his face. 

“Well, I think we need to celebrate, and that would be a good place to start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iron Man 2 is (almost) done! This story just becomes more and more enjoyable to write with every chapter, and I look forward to starting the Avengers 😄🎉
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know as it's always wonderful to hear from you ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented/left kudos/bookmarked, you're all incredible and I can't thank you enough 🥰🥰


	18. XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter take a moment to themselves.

"I promise," Peter sighed softly, pressing the button for the elevator and stepping back, Tony's hand settling on the small of the younger man's back. "I'm perfectly safe, May. Yes..I know, but I promise I am."

Tony hummed softly under his breath, watching the elevator numbers descend, gently sweeping his thumb against Peter's black suit jacket.

"Okay," Peter nodded, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "I'll talk to you soon. I love you too, bye."

"You're never that nice to _me_ on the phone." Tony raised an eyebrow.

"I know." Peter looked over at the older man with a slight grin, stepping into the empty elevator as the doors pinged open. 

"Getting a little cocky, are we?" Tony smirked, following the brunette and hitting the ‘PH’ button.

"Maybe."

"Huh, I liked the Peter Parker who could barely look at me when he came to work for me." Tony sighed, standing beside Peter and folding his arms.

"If it's any consolation, I _never_ liked you." Peter grinned, Tony biting back a grin.

"Yet here you are." Tony turned to the younger man, placing one hand on the wall beside him.

"Here I am." Peter nodded, looking up at the older man and gently sweeping his tongue across his lower lip. 

Tony gently cupped Peter's face, drawing him in for a gentle kiss that soon became more heated, Peter pressed against the elevator wall, his hands gripping the collar of Tony's shirt. 

Before they could get too carried away, the elevator came to a halt, the two of them quickly pulling apart and standing side by side with matching grins. 

A group of elderly tourists piled in, Tony and Peter standing at the back wall, occasionally smiling over at each other, Tony taking Peter's hand after a moment. 

After what seemed like an eternity, they were finally at the top floor, continuing to hold hands as they made their way down the hall, Peter stopping outside the door to his suite. 

Tony waited for the younger man to offer him in, or change his mind about the whole thing, instead Peter just swiped his card, opening the door and squeezing Tony's hand as he walked through. 

"Make yourself comfortable." The brunette smiled, walking over to the desk and sliding off his jacket in a fluid motion as Tony sat down on the end of the bed, resting back on his hands. 

"I can't believe I forgot about this," Peter smiled softly, taking the red box from the desk and walking over to Tony, slowly taking the lid off and placing it underneath. 

"I hope it's worth the wait." Tony grinned, sitting up and watching as Peter gently peeled back the gold tissue paper, lifting a set of car keys from the box.

"Oh," The brunette raised an eyebrow, a confused smile on his face, examining the keys in his hand. 

"I thought you might want to get back behind the wheel again." Tony explained.

"Sure," Peter nodded, a slightly disappointed but polite smile on his face. "thank you, Tony. You shouldn't have."

"There's actually something else under there," Tony smiled, gesturing to the box in Peter’s hand. "if you want to have a look."

"Oh," The brunette raised an eyebrow, setting the box down on the desk and looking through it again. "let me just.."

" _Oh_." Peter whispered, looking over to the older man with glassy eyes. "Tony, I.."

"May I?" Tony smiled, standing up and walking over to the brunette and holding out his hand. 

Peter nodded gently, handing Tony the pin, and taking a shaky breath. 

"I'm taking that as you like it," Tony smirked, Peter rolling his eyes softly, a tear spilling down his cheek. “there, looks good.” The older man stood back, admiring the small pin he'd had made. It was just bigger than a quarter, modelled after the first arc reactor, made with gold this time.

“Thank you for this, Tony.” Peter nodded, smiling as he leaned in, capturing a lingering kiss that soon became more heated, the youngerman pushing Tony towards the bed.

"Mm, hang on," Tony murmured softly, pulling away as his legs hit the mattress.

"What’s wrong?" Peter frowned, looking at Tony with those beautiful doe-eyes he’d fallen in love with years ago, and were never far from his mind.

"For once in my life, I want to do things properly," Tony smiled, gently sliding his hands down the brunette’s arms. "so, with that in mind..I'm officially asking you out on a date."

"A date, huh?" Peter grinned, lightly pressing his hands against Tony’s chest. "did you have anything particular in mind?" 

"I was thinking we could start with a little trip to Venice, and then take it from there." Tony raised an eyebrow, leaning in with a smirk.

"You got yourself a date." Peter smiled against the older man’s lips, everything falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Iron Man 2 IS finished! 🎉 Roll on the Avengers 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this little addition, I wanted to throw in some Starker cuteness ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented/left kudos/bookmarked, you mean the world to me 😍🥰🥰


	19. 1 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony's celebration is interrupted..

It didn't matter how many times Peter looked out at the New York skyline, he never lost the excitement from the first time he'd stood at the same window, back in his hometown, and this time with the lo-with his wonderful boyfriend.

Peter had been heavily involved with the process of getting Stark Tower off the ground (so to speak) and he'd loved being able to spend weeks at a time in New York, catching up with May and Ned, and MJ when she came into town. 

He'd rapidly grown in his confidence as CEO, dealing with the Expo fallout had thrown him in at the deep end and he'd managed to handle it with a delicate flair and got the company (and himself) through the other side relatively unscathed. 

Expanding into New York seemed like the perfect move, and standing by the large windows, gazing out into the city, Peter never felt happier. 

"Mr. Parker, there's an incoming call from Mr. Stark."

"Great, put him through," Peter smiled, gently hitching his dark grey sweatpants as he moved over to the desk setup, Tony's face appearing on the screen. 

"Hey gorgeous." 

"Hey yourself," Peter smiled, resting his hands on the desk. “how’d it go?”

“All according to plan,” Tony winked. “we are officially off the grid, totally self-sustaining from here on out.”

“That’s a relief,” Peter nodded, smiling as Tony raised an eyebrow. “for a minute there I was worried it wouldn’t work.”

“Very funny, Parker. Hit the lights.”

“Yes, _sir_ ,” Peter grinned, setting up the light display for the building, a glow radiating from the windows. “how does it look?”

“Nowhere near as beautiful as you did last night when we were-”

“Alright,” Peter giggled softly, his cheeks burning at the memory. “well now that it’s done we need to really drive home the public awareness campaign. I’m going to DC tomorrow to work on the zoning for the next three buildings. While I’m gone you need to do some press.”

“Pete, you remember we talked about enjoying the little things?” Tony sighed, his eyes looking up. “well this may not exactly be microscopic but I thought we should celebrate it anyway.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Peter smirked, biting his lower lip gently. “come back to me.”

Tony clicked off the call, Peter smiling to himself as he checked on the reactor levels, gently rubbing his bare foot on the soft carpet.

“There you are,” The brunette grinned as Tony walked down the steps, walking over to the younger man. “The levels seem to be holding steady, at least I think they are.”

“I’m sure they are,” Tony smiled, gently resting his hand on Peter’s hip, brushing against the hem of his black t-shirt. “have a little faith. You, baby, are a certified genius.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Peter raised an eyebrow, turning to face the older man and resting hands back against the desk. 

“I would,” Tony smiled softly, gently tugging at the hem of Peter’s t-shirt, but not quite lifting it up. “because all of _this_ ,” the older man took a step back, gesturing around them. “is your doing, and you should be proud.”

“Well technically,” Peter smiled, gesturing to the arc reactor in Tony’s chest. “all of this came from _that_.”

“Stark Tower is yours, give yourself that. Give yourself..twelve percent of that.” Tony smiled as Peter raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” 

“I’m willing to negotiate to fifteen.” Tony shrugged.

“Twelve percent? For something that’s _mine_? That _I_ worked on pretty much exclusively?” Peter moved past Tony with a small smile.

“Hey, I did my part,” Tony followed Peter as the younger man went to sit by the coffee table, taking two soft gold cushions from the couch and dropping them down on the floor. “I did all the heavy lifting. Like the actual heavy shit, I did that. And, that security snafu the other day? That was on you.”

“Snafu?” Peter raised an eyebrow and gracefully sat down on one of the cushions, tucking his legs up under himself. 

“Yes,” Tony nodded, sitting down opposite his boyfriend. “My private elevator…”

“ _Our_ elevator.” Peter interjected. “I live here too.” 

“Was teeming with sweaty workmen, there’s still a strong smell of armpit in there,” Tony frowned for a moment before his features softened, looking over to Peter. “I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren't I?

“See? You’re not a total idiot.” Peter grinned, taking the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket on the coffee table and puring two glasses.

“How about the next tower has ‘Parker’ on it?” Tony grinned, accepting the glass Peter handed him.

“On the _lease_.” Peter smirked, picking up his own glass and taking a slow sip, his eyes focused on Tony.

“How about we ju-”

“Sir,” JARVIS interrupted Tony, the man frowning. “Agent Coulson is on the telephone. I’m afraid my protocols are being overwritten.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony sighed, picking up his phone. “Tony Stark is currently very busy with his plans to ravage his beautiful CEO and boyfriend, Pet-”

“Tony!” Peter gasped, unable to stop the laugh that escaped his mouth as Tony ginned at the screen, setting the phone down on the coffee table. 

“I’m afraid your plans will have to wait.”

Peter turned to find Agent Coulson standing in the elevator.

“Yet another snafu.” Tony muttered as Peter went to stand up.

“Phil, nice to see you again.” The youngerman smiled, walking over to the agent as Tony quickly fell into line behind him.

_“Phil?”_ Tony frowned, standing beside Peter.

“Do you want a drink? We’re celebrating.” Peter smiled, gesturing to the champagne on the coffee table.”

“I’m afraid not,” Agent Coulson smiled politely. “I can’t stay.”

“That’s too bad.” Tony’s smile was anything but sincere.

“I came to give you this,” The agent went to hand over a black file to Tony. “we need you to look over it right away.”

“You see,” Tony sighed, raising an eyebrow at the other man. “I don't like being han-”

“I got this,” Peter smiled, passing his glass over to Agent Coulson and taking the file, before taking Tony’s glass and handing him the file. “there, that wasn’t so hard was it?”

“I don’t really do the whole ‘consulting’ thing.” Tony shrugged, lightly tapping his fingers against the file in his hands. 

“This isn't a consultation, Mr. Stark, we just need you to look over the file.” Agent Coulson replied curtly.

“Is this about The Avengers?” Peter asked, Agent Coulson's brow quirking. “which I don’t know about.”

“I thought you guys scrapped The Avengers Initiative,” Tony murmured, carrying the file over to the desk. “and as far as I recall you didn’t want me anyway.”

“Also didn’t know that.” Peter smiled, taking a sip of champagne. 

“What was it you deemed me again? Volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others. Was that it?” 

“Can’t argue with that.” Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing up to the ceiling.

“This is bigger than a personality test, Mr. Stark.” Agent Coulson fronwed, folding his arms. 

“Mm,” Tony lifted his arm, making a beckoning gesture with his fingers. “might I borrow Mr. Parker for a moment?”

“Excuse me a second.” Peter smiled at Agent Coulson before walking over to Tony, standing beside the older man. 

“For a moment there,” Tony murmured, uploading the file. “I thought we were having a moment.”

“I was having twelve percent of a moment. Or was it fifteen? I can’t remember.” Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing over to the agent by the elevator before looking back at Tony. “This seems serious, Tony. Phil's pretty shaken up.”

“Not loving this _‘Phil’_ business.” Tony grumbled as Peter examined the various images on the screen before them.

“What is all this?”

“This,” Tony lifted his arms, various different profiles appearing before them holographically. “is..pretty intense.”

The screens were hectic, showing various events other superheroes had been involved in over the past year, including Captain America, The Hulk and Thor. There was one of someone Peter didn’t recognize, a dark haired man wielding some kind of dangerous looking glowing weapon.”

“I’m changing my plans,” Peter turned to Tony. “I’m going to DC tonight, you have more than enough to do here.”

“Or you could stay,” Tony gently took Peter’s wrist in his hand, squeezing gently, “this will all be here after we’ve-”

"Do some research on all _this_ ," Peter gestured to the various screens projected around them before leaning in close to Tony, his breath tickling the older man's ear. "and then later tonight give me a call..daddy."

Enjoying the look on Tony's face for a moment, Peter gave his boyfriend a sultry wink before slinking over to the elevator. 

"Hold the door, Phil," Peter smiled, glancing back at Tony. "I'm coming."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers has officially kicked off! 🎉 I'm so excited for this as Peter and Tony are officially together now, so things can be much more fun 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this, it's such a blast to write ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's commented/left kudos/bookmarked, it means the absolute world and I appreciate each and every one of you ❤️❤️


	20. 2 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is worried about Tony, and Tony isn't helping..

“Thank you Mr.Parker, your proposal has been submitted pending further approval.”

“Thank you.” Peter smiled at the woman across the desk from him, shaking her hand before heading out of the large office and into the elegant marble reception area, rubbing his forehead as he left the building.

“How’d it go?” Happy asked, holding open the car door as Peter approached.

“Pretty good, just a whole lot of red tape.” The brunette smiled softly, getting into the car and letting out a yawn. The sooner he could get back to his hotel the better, wanting to sink into a hot bath for about three hours.

“This came while you were out,” Happy reached over to the passenger seat, picking up a small black envelope and handing it back to Peter. “invitation of some kind.”

“Oh, thanks.” Peter raised an eyebrow as he examined the envelope in his hands, sitting back against the seat. The fading sunlight streamed into the car, providing a little light to peel open the envelope and take out a silver invite with elaborate cursive type. 

It brought a smile to Peter’s face to see ‘To Mr. Peter Parker & Mr. Tony Stark’, it wasn’t the first invite he’d received with both their names on it, but it just reminded Peter that it was so official, he was really part of this amazing couple. For years he’d sorted through various ‘Mr. Tony Stark’ and ‘Mr. Tony Stark plus Guest’ invites, so to have his name on one alongside Tony’s was just heartwarming every time.

The invitation in his hands was for a charity gala the following week, back in New York. They wouldn’t be able to attend, Peter was up to his eyes in trying to get the new buildings organized and Tony had..Peter frowned slightly, Tony hadn’t really said anything more about the file Agent Coulson had given him, brushing it off when Peter asked.

Looking out the window at the sun setting over the horizon, Peter felt his palms clam up with worry. Since they’d been together officially, Tony had promised to be open about any and all matters personal and professional, hence Peter learning of the Avenger initiative (finding out about Natasha had been more than a surprise, much to Tony’s amusement) and dreading the day Tony was called upon for a mission. He knew it was important, but..even so. Tony being so aloof certainly wasn’t helping sooth his fears.

By the time they arrived back at the hotel, Peter had worried himself into a frenzy. He needed to talk to Tony, find out once and for all what was going on, and if Tony was in danger.

“Thank you, Hap,” The brunette smiled, stepping out of the car. “I can take it from here. In case I forget to text her, give my love to Pepper and Morgan, won’t you?”

“Of course, boss.” Happy nodded, smiling slightly at the mention of his wife and daughter.

“Enjoy your evening.” Peter smiled, heading up the steps of the hotel and making his way towards the elevator, waiting until he was safely encased in it and the doors closed before letting out a deep sigh.

-

"Your dinner for tonight has been cancelled, room service will send up something for you at seven thirty," Zoe smiled, swiping through the tablet in her hands. "there's a couple of emails to be responded to, nothing too major. Oh, and Mr. Stark left _this_ message for you," The blonde handed over a note card, raising an eyebrow. "He wants you to call him when you get the chance."

"I apologise if he was..too _himself_ , shall we say," Peter sighed, smiling softly. "thank you Zoe, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Peter." Zoe nodded, heading out of the suite and closing the door behind her.

Once he'd responded to the email waiting for him, caught up on a couple more work things and finally closed his laptop, Peter got up from the desk and headed to the bathroom, wanting to sink into a bath.

He took his phone with him, bringing up Tony's number and calling as he began to fill the large tub, adding in some jasmine scents and sitting on the edge of the porcelain.

"Mr. Parker, been a minute."

"Not long enough for you to leave _that_ kind of message with Zoe, I've only been gone a couple of nights, Tony." Peter raised an eyebrow, gently sweeping his hand through the water.

“And?”

" _And_ from my experience you're more than capable of looking after yourself." Peter smiled softly, holding the phone to his ear as he gently took his hand from the water, shaking it slightly.

“Doesn't mean I can't miss you, does it?” Tony’s voice was soft, going straight to Peter’s heart.

"I miss you too," The brunette looked over to the water, steam swirling up from it. "how are things going?"

"Pretty good, I gotta say," Tony sounded slightly dismissive, music starting to play in the background. "how was today? Can we build a whole new playground yet?"

"Getting there," Peter nodded, skirting around what he really needed to be asking."so are you still at home or have they dragged you out?"

"I'm home, but I got some things to do tomorrow, official things, nothing major," Tony was definitely leaving out details, Peter feeling his stomach growing tight. "is that water I hear?"

"Yes, I'm having a bath," Peter sighed, switching off the faucet and standing up. "but what are these official things?"

"SHIELD, yadda yadda yadda..” Tony was frowning, Peter could just tell. “so you're in the bath right now? All..soapy and—"

" _Tony_ ," Peter set the phone on loudspeaker, placing it on the counter and beginning to take off his suit. "I'm serious. Tell me what's going on."

"It's..classified, I'm afraid." Tony sighed, the music in the background getting later. "All I can say is that..it's under control, it will be, anyway."

"You know I worry about you Tony," Peter peeled off the rest of his clothes, setting them down on the laundry basket before picking up his phone and gently easing himself into the bath. "and I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

"Pete, I promise that everything is fine, you don't need to worry." Tony didn’t sound totally convinced himself, but the last thing Peter wanted was to get into an argument. Sometimes he just had to trust that Tony did know what he was doing, despite appearances. 

"I love you, Tony." Peter leaned back against the bath, the hot water soothing his tension, closing his eyes. 

"I love you too, baby." Tony murmured softly, sending a slight shiver down Peter’s spine. "now, tell me more about this bath situation.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a new chapter! 🤦 Apologies it took me so long to get this out, real life got in the way a little 🙈
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy this, feel free to let me know 🥰🥰


	21. 2 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not smooth sailing..

Tony was taking a break for a moment, leaning against one of the pristine benches in the lap and lightly tapping his phone against his hand. Bruce had been summoned by one of the various grey-suited agents on board, leaving Tony alone in the large space.

Glancing at his phone screen, Tony smiled at the photo of himself and Peter that flashed up. They were in the park, Tony’s arm around Peter’s shoulders and Peter’s arms around Tony’s waist. They were smiling at the camera, looking totally loved up. 

It felt like a lifetime ago now.

The doors to the lab opened and Tony looked up, sliding his phone into his pocket as he smiled at Natasha.

"Agent Romanoff."

"Tony."

"Sometimes I miss you calling me Mr. Stark," Tony raised an eyebrow, crossing one food over the other as he leaned against the bench. "it had a nice ring to it."

"Well I don't work for you anymore." Natasha rolled her eyes slightly, walking over to the bench opposite him and standing in front of it.

"Technically you never _actually_ worked for me," Tony lifted his hands, tilting his head as Natahsa raised an eyebrow. "but you should, I treat my employees very well."

"So I'm aware," The redhead nodded slowly, smirking slightly as she folded her arms. "how _is_ Peter?"

"He's.." Tony cleared his throat, pushing down the uncomfortable feeling that rose in him. Since he’d arrived here things had been a little..tense between him and Peter. "he's doing good."

"Mm.” Natasha didn’t sound convinced, and Tony didn’t try to change her mind. “And how are _you_ doing? Thought I’d check and see you haven’t done anything too stupid. Yet, anyway.”

“Give it time.” Tony gave a half-hearted grin, moving over to the scepter and folding his arms as he examined it. He could feel Natasha’s eyes on him, letting out a sigh.

"He worries."

"I'm sure he does," The redhead moved over to Tony, standing across from him and looking at the scepter. "but this is just part of the job."

"You try telling him that," Tony shook his head, biting his lip softly. "he might believe you."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Something like that."

"Peter _loves_ you, Tony. Of course he's going to worry." Natasha smiled softly. Tony knew she was just trying to help, but he couldn’t ease his own guilt. He was more than willing to dive headfirst into danger to do the right thing, but to know that Peter was worrying about him, that hurt. 

"I know that," Tony nodded, forcing himself to smile. "but it's like I can't reassure him that everything's going to be okay because.."

"Because you can't,” Natasha sighed, glancing over to the door. “none of us can."

"Exactly." Tony sighed.

"But that's why we're here, it’s what we do." The redhead looked back at the scepter, frowning slightly.

"Do you think we'll win?" Tony asked after a moment, looking over at Natasha.

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I said no." The redhead held Tony’s gaze for a moment before moving to head out of the lab, Tony turning to look at her.

"You're a credit to the profession, Agent Romanoff."

"I know."

-

"Hey, Tony." Peter sounded exhausted, more so than usual. 

"Hey, Pete. How's your day been?" Tony asked, sitting down in one of the empty desk chairs in the deserted conference room. 

"Busy, but..when isn't it?" Peter laughed, though there was no mirth or joy in it as there usually was. 

"True," Tony smiled softly, gently swaying in the chair. "but if anyone can handle it it's you."

"Mm." Peter sighed, and Tony felt his chest tighten. "How's everything going with you?" 

"It's..we're getting there." As much as Tony wanted to go into detail, and as much as he knew Peter would be more than capable of understanding it he just..couldn’t. He didn’t need Fury getting on his case for divulging information, and honestly..he didn’t have any real positive news, how could he worry Peter like that? 

"Well..that's good." 

"How's May?" Tony asked, wanting to change the subject to something, _anything_ else. "Have you seen her lately?" 

"Yeah," Peter sounded slightly happier, much to Tony’s relief. "we met up for lunch a couple of days ago, she's doing good, keeping busy."

"Glad to hear it," Tony smiled, before frowning as one of the agents appeared at the door gesturing for him to follow. "well listen, I better be going, I'm being called back to the playpen."

"Okay," Peter’s voice dropped low, quiet. "I guess I'll talk to you later. Stay safe."

"I will. Love you, sweetheart." Tony sighed softly, a small smile on his face. 

"I love you too,” Tony thought he heard a hint of a smile in Peter’s voice, clinging to it like a liferaft. “bye, Tony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, The Avengers is really interesting and fun to write as there's much more freedom for interpretation 😄
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know what you thought, it's always a pleasure to hear from you 🥰🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/commented/bookmarked, it means the world ❤️


	22. 2 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strain is beginning to set in..

"Peeper!"

Peter laughed as an adorable toddler ran down the hall and into his arms.

"Hey Princess Morgan," Peter smiled, picking up the girl and spinning her around gently. "I missed you." 

"There you are," Pepper emerged into the hall, a dish cloth draped elegantly over her shoulder. "good to see you Peter, apologies for the bombardment."

"Don't mention it," Peter grinned, carrying Morgan over to Pepper and gently kissing the blonde's cheek. "always a pleasure to see her, and you."

"I've got some coffee brewing," Pepper gestured towards the kitchen. "and I'm sure we can find something for madam here."

-

"She's worn out," Pepper smiled, coming back into the kitchen and sitting down across the marble island from Peter. "I apologise if you actually had more interesting plans for your Saturday afternoon than running around after a two year old." 

"It was fun, don't worry about it," Peter beamed, running a hand through his hair. "it's been a busy week, it was nice just switching off for a while."

"It's fun for an afternoon," Pepper raised an eyebrow, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "try dealing with her full time. I'm almost looking forward to getting back to work next week."

"Well is it terrible to say I can't wait to have you back?" Peter smiled, resting his arms on the counter. "it's not been the same without you."

"What can I say, I'm irreplaceable," Pepper winked, getting up and brewing more coffee. "how have things been going lately?" 

"Good," Peter cleared his throat, nodding. "yeah. It's really great to be back in New York."

"I bet," Pepper poured two fresh cups, placing one down in front of Peter. "how's Tony getting on?" 

Peter forced himself to smile, taking a sip of coffee and forming an appropriate response in his head. 

"They're making good progress, hopefully it won't be long before he can come home."

"Well that's good," Pepper smiled, taking a sip of coffee. "he'll be home before you know it." 

In truth, it had been a couple of days since Peter had spoken to Tony. He'd often look at his phone, waiting to see Tony's name flash up on the screen, or wanting to call him but knowing they’d barely be able to talk before Tony was called away.

When they did talk..it wasn’t without its difficulties. Tony could hardly even tell Peter that he was safe, let alone anything else about what they were doing. Something deep down inside Peter knew Tony was worried, that things weren’t going well. 

So they didn’t talk.

-

Peter drove himself home, heading up to the penthouse and straight for the bathroom. He let the shower run for a moment as he examined his face in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were getting bigger, he hadn’t slept properly in days.

A solid half hour passed before Peter thought about getting out of the shower, his mind switching off for a while as he let the hot water wash over him. His fingers were beginning to prune, and Peter decided to get out, switching off the water and grabbing a large white towel as he stepped out of the shower, wrapping it around his waist. 

The bedroom felt so empty still, as it had since Tony left. Peter’s assumptions that he’d get used to it hadn’t come to pass, and he doubted they would. Once he was dry and had thrown on some deodorant, Peter took one of Peter’s old band t-shirts from the closet, slipping it on before getting a pair of boxers and putting them on, heading over to the bed and slipping beneath the covers. 

As he did every night, Peter turned the TV on, half expecting to see a news report about the Avengers getting caught up in some horrible battle. So far, it hadn’t happened, and Peter prayed it wouldn’t.

He flicked through the channels, knowing there was nothing that would capture his attention. He set the remote down, leaning back against the headboard and picking up his phone from the nightstand. Peter smiled at the wallpaper, a selfie of him and Tony on a gondola in Venice, pulling silly faces. Peter’s eyes were crossed and Tony was sticking his tongue out. 

He brought up Tony’s number, willing himself to just call. Just to hear Tony’s voice. 

He held the phone in his hands for a moment, taking a breath. 

_‘This is Tony Stark. I’m too busy saving the world to answer the phone right now, call again when you see me on the news getting a medal. Don’t leave a message, I won’t listen to it.’_

Setting the phone down, Peter curled up in the blanket, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the tension..🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos/commented/bookmarked, it means the world 🥰🥰


	23. 2 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a battle on the horizon..

"Thank you again," Peter smiled politely, standing up and smoothing out his suit. "thank you for your time."

Leaving the meeting room, Peter let out a breath, running a hand over his face. When he'd gotten the call to head back to DC to find out the decision about the other towers, he'd had a lingering feeling of doubt that their plans wouldn't be approved. Which, had just come to fruition, much to his chagrin.

"There you are," Zoe approached him, phone pressed to her ear. "the jet's delayed for a while, we're heading back to the hotel."

"Sure," Peter nodded, lightly scratching his neck. "that sounds fine."

"Dare I ask?" The blonde gestured to the meeting room doors, arching a delicate eyebrow. 

"As expected." Peter sighed, joining his PA in heading down the hall, the only sound the clicking of her heels on the marble floor as they went to leave the building. 

"Boss." 

Happy nodded subtly as he opened the car door, Peter giving him a small smile in return as he got in, Zoe following him. 

-

"We'll be leaving in about two hours," Zoe explained, pressing the button in the elevator for their floor. "we'll be back in New York by the early evening."

"Looking forward to it." Peter smiled gently, holding his hands in front of himself and letting out a soft breath. 

-

Once he was alone in his room, Peter sat down on the end of the bed, taking out his phone and just looking at his wallpaper for a while, gently swiping his thumb over the screen. 

He showered, dressed, answered some emails, did everything he was supposed to do. Including trying, and failing, not to think about Tony. They hadn't so much as texted in a few days, and though Peter might have thought it would make things easier, he was swiftly proved wrong. 

Peter didn't have any idea what was happening with Tony, or the Avengers initiative..he presumed, _hoped_ , that if..he'd be told, should anything happen. 

So far, he hadn't heard anything, but he had an uneasy feeling that wouldn't abate. 

-

Walking up the steps to the jet, the sun was shining brightly, casting shadows as Peter stepped inside. He could hear murmurs, raising an eyebrow as he saw Zoe and a couple of other staff members gathered by the TV. He turned to find Happy standing behind him, frowning as he looked over to the TV. 

"What's going on here?" The bodyguard asked, Zoe turning around, her face pale. 

Peter's heart dropped. 

"It's.." The blonde stepped aside, gesturing for the others to do the same. 

Peter moved forward, watching the news station playing on the screen. It was New York, and it looked like it was being..destroyed. 

People were screaming, buildings were being destroyed, there was some kind of giant, mechanical creature in the sky by the news helicopter. 

_May. Ned. MJ._

"Tony.." Peter whispered under his breath, his chest feeling tight. He felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to find Happy staring at the TV. 

"Let's get home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but I promsie things will get a lot more..action packed soon! 👌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left commenta/kudos/bookmarked, I appreciate it more than you know ❤️


	24. 2 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's only one man who can save the city..but at what cost?

It was chaos.

People running for their lives, screaming in terror. Dust filled the air, buildings crumbling and falling apart.

Tony had seen many things in his life, good, bad and ugly.

But seeing New York under attack by alien creatures, including a giant metal space worm, that was new.

Even when said worm had been taken down, there was still a never ending supply of faceless entities to be taken out.

But Tony didn't have time to think negatively. He also didn't have time to think positively, destruction rampant all around him

So naturally, as he was up to his neck in dealing with more of the damn chitauri, Fury decided it was the perfect time to check in.

"Stark, can you hear me?"

"I'm a little busy right now," Tony called, blasting one of the aliens coming at him and trying to fend off a group of others surrounding him. "what's the problem? Aside from the obvious."

"There's a missile headed right for the city," Fury explained. "three minutes, max."

"Of course there is." Tony sighed, trying to concentrate on what he was doing, but having a (literal) bomb being dropped on him was throwing him off.

"It'll wipe out Midtown, I need you on it Stark." Fury explained as Tony nodded.

"Jarvis, you know what to do."

"Already taken care of, sir."

Tony managed to shake off the remaining attackers, heading off in direction of the nuke.

"Jarvis, be a dear and get Peter for me." 

Tony may have been an idiot, he’d done some stupid things, and while he may have thought that just leaving Peter out of all this was a good idea..it hadn’t been, and he needed to fix that while he still could.

"Right away, sir."

Peter’s image flashed on the HUD, dialling out.

_"You've reached Peter Parker, I'm not able to take your call right now, so please leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

"Hey, baby. Been a while, huh?” Tony sighed, his heart beating fast in his chest. “It's my fault, I'll admit it. But things have been..well, _rough_. And now..this might be it. For me, anyway.” This wasn’t the first time Tony was facing death, but now he had something to lose. “But sometimes you just have to make the sacrifice play. Rogers doesn't know shit. I'm sorry, Peter. I love you, and I—"

"Sir, you ca-" Jarvis was breaking up, and things began shutting down. This was it, he had no choice but to carry on and give it everything he had to make sure that the earth was safe.

What he saw before him was..unbelievable. It was horrifying, fleets of alien ships in the dark sky. He took a shaky breath, using the last of his strength to push the nuke in his hands forward, feeling himself falling back down to earth.

Everything began slowly fading, his breath escaping him and Peter's smile the last thing Tony saw before everything faded to black.

-

“May? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” “oh thank god..yes, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m just trying to get back to the city, I’ll give you another call later, I need to check on the others. I love you too.”

Peter clicked off the call, his heart pounding. He knew Pepper was safe, and now he knew May was too. He’d texted MJ and Ned, and if he listened to Tony’s voicemail one more time he’d have no more tears left.

“Sir, I’m afraid we need you to stay here,” Peter looked up at the sound, a police officer talking to Happy, the car barely out of the airport car park. “it’s not safe to enter the city right now.”

“I understand that,” Happy sighed, tapping his fingers against the wheel. “but I need to get back there, it’s an emergency.”

Checking his texts, Peter was relieved to see Ned had replied. 

_I’m fine dude! MJ is in Thailand, she emailed me a couple of days ago, she lost her phone. Are you okay?_

_Okay, are you sure you’re safe? I’m fine, just trying to get back to the city._

“I’m sorry sir, there’s nothing I can do.” The police officer sighed, heading away from the car.

“Happy?” Peter leaned forward, his hands clutching his phone and his heart racing.

“Yes, boss?”

“Get us home.”

“You got it.”

Peter sat back, Happy quickly overtaking the car in front and speeding off, a shout sounding in the distance.

-

“Oh my god..” Peter whispered, getting out of the car and looking up at the tower. It was crumbling at the top, glass shattered across the street below. He turned to Happy and Zoe, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I'm going up there, I need to know if Tony.." He took a breath, feeling like his heart was going to fall out of his chest.

"Right behind you, Peter." Happy nodded, Zoe offering him a supportive smile.

The reception was deserted, dark shadows cast across it and glass across the floor. The elevator was still working, and Peter's heart was in his mouth the entire journey up to the penthouse.

When the doors finally dinged, Peter quickly reached for Zoe's hand, giving it a quick squeeze. The doors opened, and Peter took a breath as he stepped forward, freezing as he saw a group of people standing in the penthouse talking. 

He saw Natasha first, Steve..The Hulk, and..

_"Tony!"_ Peter didn't care about anyone else in the room, didn't care that he was supposed to be a CEO, that Tony was a superhero, at that moment all he wanted to do was run into the man's arms.

"You're alive, you're here," Peter whispered frantically, wrapping his arms tightly around Tony's neck, holding on to the man for dear life. "I love you."

"I love you too," Tony whispered softly, his arms wrapping around Peter's waist tightly. "so much."

After a moment, Tony gently stepped back, keeping his arm around Peter's waist and gesturing to the room.

"Pete, everyone. Everyone, Pete."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers is *almost* done! 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked, it means the world 🥰🥰


	25. 2 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter becomes more acquainted with the Avengers, before finally having a moment alone with Tony.

Peter was suddenly very aware that he was in a room of mostly strangers, gently squeezing Tony's arm and just wanting to make sure that the man was really there. 

"You know Nat, obviously," Tony smiled, gesturing to the redhead, who offered Peter a familiar smile. 

"It's good to see you again, Pete."

"You too, Nat," Peter smiled, giving her a small wave. "always."

"This is Steve Rogers," Tony moved his hand tomm the blonde man. Peter had heard of him plenty, seen him on TV but..it was something else to see him up close. "don't let the spandex fool you, he's a tough nut."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Steve." Peter smiled, nodding at the man and feeling like a nervous teenager again, clinging to Tony's arm.

"Likewise, Mr. Parker." Steve nodded solemnly, making Tony roll his eyes slightly and Peter bite back a giggle. 

"This is Clint Barton," Tony carried on, gesturing to the man standing beside Steve who Peter had a vague memory of from reading the Avengers file Tony had shown him several months ago. "AKA Hawkeye, which is.. _much_ cooler."

"Nice to meet you, Clint." Peter smiled, gently squeezing Tony's arm. 

"You too, Peter," Clint grinned, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. "you're obviously the better half."

" _This_ ," Tony sighed as Peter laughed softly. "is the Hulk. He's actually quite sweet on the inside."

Ah yes, the Hulk. Peter had heard of Dr. Banner, and was very impressed by his work, but to actually see the Hulk, to see this person from the clips Peter had seen of him wreaking havoc in Harlem..it was a little daunting. 

"Nice to meet you." Peter nodded, smiling politely as he got a grunt and a head tilt in return. He figured that was probably one of the better responses to receive. 

"This is Thor," Tony gestured to the blonde standing beside the Hulk. He was familiar too, but it was certainly intimidating to be in the presence of a literal god. "you can catch him in the upcoming performance of Hamlet." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Thor," Peter smiled, _maybe_ blushing a little as the god smiled back at him, walking over and offering his hand. "it is my pleasure, believe me."

"Alright, lovebirds," Tony muttered, moving his hand to drape his arm around Peter's shoulders. "we've still got work to do."

They all looked over to the steps by the bar, Peter following their gaze and seeing a dark haired man he didn't recognize, his hands in chains. 

"This, Peter," Tony explained, keeping his arm around the younger man's shoulders. "is Laertes. Oh wait, no..Loki. Would be ruler of Earth." 

"We need to get home down to the team, they’re waiting on us." Natasha explained.

"Alright," Clint nodded. "let's get going."

"Stand brother," Thor glared at the dark haired man, gripping his arm and hauling him up into a standing position. "we must return home."

"Brother..?" Peter whispered, glancing up At Tony.

" _Long_ story," Tony muttered, lightly squeezing Peter's shoulders. "I'll explain later."

"Coming, Stark?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair, smiling down at Peter before looking over to the others. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Happy, Zoe," Peter smiled over at the figures standing by the elevator, Zoe's eyes focused on Thor, love hearts practically emitting from her skin. "you're free to go home. Give Pepper and Morgan a hug for me, Hap."

"Boss," Happy started, glancing at the group heading to the elevator.

"It's alright Hogan," Tony smiled, holding up a hand. "I can take it from here, at least for today. Go see that lovely family. Give them my love."

Happy nodded, he and Zoe getting into the elevator with the group, the doors closing and leaving Tony and Peter alone.

Peter turned to the man, gently cupping his face and letting out a shaky breath.

"Tony, that message.."

"Is irrelevant," Tony muttered softly, his hands wrapping around Peter's waist. "we're here, we're safe. Don't dwell on it."

"But how can I not? What if you'd been.." The words died in Peter’s throat, his eyes welling up.

"But I _wasn't_ ,” Tony smiled, his eyes focused on Peter. “It's gonna take more than an alien fleet to take me down."

"Tony, I've almost lost you before,” Peter let the tears fall, his heart pounding in his chest. “and the thought of losing you just mak-"

Tony cut him off with a kiss, his hands moving to cup the younger man’s face, gently stroking his cheeks. 

"I need to go and take care of all _that_ ,” Tony pulled back after a moment, resting his forehead against Peter’s. “but I'll be with you before you know it."

"Okay,” Peter nodded softly, his hands moving to grip Toy’s wrists. “I want to go check on May, and Ned. This place.." He let out a soft laugh, feeling overwhelmed. "we obviously need a little reconstruction work done..so until that's finished we'll book into a hotel. I'll take care of it, you do what you need to do." 

“I love you,” Tony whispered softly, holding Peter’s face and letting out a sigh. “I promise I’ll never let you forget that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is The Avengers finished now? Possibly, but now that Peter has been properly introduced to everyone I'm tempted to add a little more 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked, I'm incredibly grateful 🥰🥰


	26. 2 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's behaviour at a party worries Peter..

"Tony, are you done in there?" Peter knocked on the bathroom door, folding his arms. "I want to have a bath."

"Well in that case," The door opened, Tony standing in the doorway with his arms folded, a suggestive smirk on his face. "why don't we save water and.." He gestured over to the bath, bubbles frothing at the top, candles dotted around it. 

"We'll be late," Peter raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't help the smile on his lips. "how would it look if we were late to our own party?" 

"We're the hosts," Tony murmured softly, taking Peter's hand and guiding him over to the bath. "it's expected for us to be fashionably late." 

"There's fashionably late and there's Tony Stark late," Peter giggled, letting his boyfriend peel off his t-shirt and cast it aside. "so we better hurry up."

-

"So, dare I ask why you were late?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, a small grin on her face as she took a sip of the champagne in her hand. 

"You daren't." Peter smiled, flushing slightly as he took a sip of his own champagne. 

Stark Tower had been rebuilt as the Avengers Tower, and the party to celebrate its grand opening was in full swing. Peter had watched with pride and love as Tony gave a speech, his body still warm from their earlier activities. 

Peter hadn't been planning on giving any kind of speech himself, but when Tony had dragged him over to the microphone he managed to put something together, his cheeks burning slightly. He'd always hated impromptu speeches, but he couldn't exactly refuse. 

But, safely ensconced back in the crowd, Peter managed to relax a little more. The tower looked great, and Peter was almost sorry they wouldn’t actually be living here. They’d taken the decision to move back to Malibu, deciding to keep the tower for business whenever they were in New York. A small part of Peter had been a little..frustrated at having to leave his home city once more, but as long as he was with Tony then he didn’t care what the view was. 

As the evening went on, Peter was feeling much more relaxed and a little buzzed (he was pretty sure there’d been a glass of champagne in his hand the entire evening that seemingly never emptied), and he was thoroughly engrossed as Thor told him about Dr. Foster’s latest work. 

Well, until Tony came strolling over and placed a very possessive arm around Peter’s waist, insisting he needed to talk to Peter alone for a moment. So Peter maybe touched Thor’s arm once or twice, and maybe he got a little lost in the God’s ridiculously beautiful eyes but there was absolutely no-

“..reason to be jealous, that was so _rude_ ,” Peter snapped as Tony led them down the quiet hallway. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong and you jus-”

The brunette was cut off as Tony pushed him up against the wall, holding the collar of Peter’s maroon suit jacket and capturing his lips in a kiss that literally took the younger man’s breath away. Once he managed to think somewhat clearer, Peter moved his hands to grip Tony’s arms, leaning into the kiss and forgetting about everything else for a moment.

“I couldn’t let blondie have you all to himself,” Tony murmured as he pulled back, his eyes dark and a smirk on his face. “not when you look so good.”

“Mm,” Peter nodded, gently moving his hands to clutch the lapels of Tony’s navy jacket, looking up at him with a soft smile. “I suppose so. Do you think..anyone would mind if we just..” He gestured down the hall, biting his lip softly. 

“I don’t think so..” Tony grinned, gently lifting his hand to stroke Peter’s cheek, his expression softening. “why don’t you he-”

There was a slight smashing sound in the distance, like glass shattering, followed by laughter. Nothing major, and yet Tony’s face went pale, his hand stilling on Peter’s cheek before falling away. Peter fornwed as Tony stepped back, clearing his throat and quickly smoothing out his suit.

“I’m just gonna use the bathroom,” The older man muttered, not meeting Peter’s eye. “need to splash some water on my face. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Peter watched as his boyfriend headed down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming the door slightly. He waited a moment before heading into the living room, finding one of the waiters cleaning up some shattered glass, everything else seemed normal. 

“Hey, there you are,” 

Before Peter could quietly slip back down the hall, Steve and Natasha were approaching, smiling at him.

“Hey,” Peter managed, hoping his smile was convincing. “having fun?”

“Very much so.” Steve nodded, taking a sip of champagne while Natasha glanced down the hall.

“Where’s Tony disappeared to? Don’t tell me he left his own party early?” The redhead raised an eyebrow as Peter forced a laugh, quickly glancing back to the hall. 

“No, no, he’s just..” Peter lightly scratched his neck, turning back to the two Avengers standing before him. “taking a minute, it’s been a long day, you know?”

Deep down, Peter hoped that it was nothing, Tony was just..well, that was it. He didn’t know why Tony had reacted the way he did and..it scared him. 

This wasn’t going to be good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..been a minute, huh? 🤦
> 
> I wanted to take a break between the Avengers and Iron Man 3 to get some other things written, and then come back to this with fresh eyes!
> 
> I thought it would be best to just have a little bridge between the two movies, set up a couple of future plots ❤️
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed it, feel free to let me know 🥰🥰


	27. XXVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Malibu, Peter gets ready for Christmas while Tony is becoming more and more distracted..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Iron Man 3 officially begins! 🎉
> 
> Maybe this is controversial (probably not, I’m sure you’ll all understand) but I’m just going to presume that you’ve seen the movie and are familiar with the opening scene of the film set in 1999. I don’t think I need to write it here as I’d literally just be copying and pasting the script. It will be part of the story, obviously, I’m just skipping ahead a little!
> 
> Enjoy ❤️

Humming along to the Christmas music playing, Peter added a couple more decorations to the large Christmas tree in the living room, stepping back and admiring his work when he was done. He was a little sad not to be spending the holidays in New York this year as he’d hoped to, but in the couple of months that they’d been back in Malibu, Peter had made a more concentrated effort to go to New York more, spend time with May and his friends. 

“What do you think, Jarv?” Peter asked, tilting his head slightly and checking for any flaws in his decorating. 

“A most excellent job has been done, Mr. Parker.” 

“Thank you, I think so too..” Peter grinned, taking the box of decorations over to the fireplace and setting it down. “could you also remind Tony that he was supposed to be helping me with this?” 

“Of course, sir.”

Since they’d come back to California, Tony had spent more and more time down in the workshop for hours on end. At first, Peter hadn’t really worried too much about it. Tony seemed happier, less stressed than he had been in New York. Peter had tried to bring up what had happened a couple of times, but Tony insisted he was fine, didn’t need to talk about it. 

Peter had learned over the years when to concede when it came to Tony, and figured that his boyfriend would talk about the battle when he felt ready. Their relationship had remained strong, and Peter couldn’t deny that Tony had almost gone too overboard with romantic gestures, sending flowers to the office, whisking Peter away for romantic weekends in Paris, Hawaii, anywhere they wanted. 

But in the last couple of weeks things had become a little..tense. Tony was spending more and more time away from Peter. He wouldn’t come to their bed at night, he’d let weekends go by with them barely spending any time together. Peter was busy himself with work, but he didn’t want them to drift apart. With the holidays coming up, Peter planned to just spend some quality time with his boyfriend, which he was supposed to be doing right now, if Tony could be bothered to join him.

Searching through the box at his feet, Peter dug out the stockings for himself, Tony, Dum-E and U, hanging them up and smiling to himself. He’d always enjoyed Christmas, and since he’d been with Tony that had only increased. He was planning to take a little more time off work than usual, hoping that Tony would be able to just relax and enjoy some quality time with Peter.

“Where is it..” Peter murmured to himself, rooting through the last remaining decorations in the box in search of the stocking for Jarvis. It had to be here somewhere, he’d hardly left it in New York..no, it had to be somewhere. After checking every box of decorations in the living room, searching every wardrobe even checking the kitchen cabinets, Peter was beginning to get frustrated.

He decided to check if Tony had seen it, heading downstairs and into the workshop, finding Tony standing at the workbench and humming to himself as he worked on a suit.

“I know those suits can do a lot for you but I promise I can do a little more..” Peter raised an eyebrow, walking over to his boyfriend and gently pulling down the hem of his simple blue t-shirt. 

“Care to show me an example?” Tony grinned, looking over to Peter and folding his arm. 

“I have something more important to do first..” Peter glanced around, trying to see if the elusive stocking was anywhere in sight. “have you seen Jarvis’ stocking anywhere? It wasn’t with the others.”

“You’re decorating without me?” Tony mock gasped, heading away from the bench and moving to the sink. “that’s..shocking.” 

“You could’ve helped..” Peter walked over to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist and resting his head between the older mans’ shoulders. “so don’t pout.”

“I am helping,” Tony mused, resting one hand on Peter’s while he sorted through various piles of papers, metal scraps and assorted junk piled up on the counter. “see?”

Turning around slowly, Tony smirked as he held up the stocking Peter had been looking for. 

“It’s a miracle.” Peter giggled, reaching for the stocking and gasping as Tony held it up out of reach. “what’s that for?”

“Just one thing..” Tony grinned, looking to the side and whistling. “showtime, come on..”

Peter followed Tony’s gaze, confused about what was happening until he saw Dum-E rolling towards them, letting out a laugh as he saw a sprig of mistletoe being held aloft by the bot. 

“That’s..” Peter smiled, wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck and looking up at the man. “adorable. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Tony smiled, his attention shifting to Peter as he wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist, the stocking hanging loose from his fingers. “and I think I have some making up to do..” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels good to be writing for this story again, it's always close to my heart ❤️
> 
> I LOVE LOVE LOVE Iron Man 3, I am so excited to start it for this story! It feels like a proper love story between Tony and Pepper, Peter in this case, and that's something I'm very happy to explore 🥰😁 
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter feel free to let me know, it's always a pleasure to hear from you 😍😍
> 
> P.S - Happy New Year! 🥳🥳


	28. XXVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a meeting with a face from Tony's past..things can only go well..

“I’m just saying, Tony has them in his basement, we could use them.” 

“You do realize they have dunce hats on for a _reason_?” Peter raised an eyebrow as he and Happy walked through the building. 

“That aside,” Happy continued. “they could serve a real purpose here.”

“So, you're suggesting that I just..” Peter reached for his phone, glancing over to the man walking beside him. “replace the entire janitorial staff with robots who at the current moment can barely hold a broom?”

“No,” Happy sighed as Peter smiled to himself, opening his emails. “look, we have a serious problem with vulnerability and it’s concentrated in the human aspect of Human Resources. We really should be phasing it out already..we could have the bots installed imm-”

"Okay, between you and Tony the robot thing is just.." Peter shook his head, slipping his phone back into his pocket. 

"It's more _effective_ , is what it is, and-" 

"Happy," Peter stopped, placing his arm on Happy’s shoulder and smiling softly. "I'm gonna say the same thing I said to Tony. Let it go. Maybe one day we can run this entire place with robots, but right now I'm perfectly okay with keeping our human staff." He raised an eyebrow as Happy’s attention was drawn to one of the employees walking past them, taping his security badge. 

“Come on guys, I’ve told you about this..” 

“Alright,” Peter folded his hands in front of himself, smiling at Happy as the man looked back at him. “I am seriously thrilled for you that you're now the Head of Security, it’s the perfect position for you and really we should have promoted you a long time ago,” 

“I appreciate that, thank you.” Happy nodded, and Peter took a breath, trying to find the politest way of informing the man about the abundance of complaints that had flooded in about his.. _enthusiasm_ for his new position.

“I just thought I should tell you, since you've taken the post..well, we’ve had a few complaints, from the staff..” Peter cleared his throat, trying to keep the smile on his face. He really didn’t want to phrase this the wrong way, but he couldn’t ignore the issue.

“Well what’s a few, exactly?” Happy frowned, folding his arms and not helping Peter’s discomfort with the situation. 

“Staff complaints have risen..” Peter took a breath, lightly scratching his neck. “three hundred per cent..” 

“Thank you.” Happy let his arms fall by his side, smoothing out his jacket as Peter raised an eyebrow, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“That's not..” Peter frowned slightly, confusion sinking in. “exactly..a compliment..”

“Oh it is,” Happy nodded, folding his arms. “it means I’m doing something right, and obviously somebody's trying to hide something.”

“Obviously..” Peter muttered, letting out a slight sigh of relief as Zoe approached them, a polite smile on her face. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” The blonde raised an eyebrow as Happy frowned at her, gesturing to his badge. “but your four o’clock is here, Peter.”

“Thank you,” Peter smiled at his assistant, lightly patting Happy’s back. 

“I wasn’t informed about any four o’clock.” Happy turned to Peter, folding his arms. 

“It’ll be fine,” Peter smiled, giving Zoe a nod before starting to walk towards his office as Happy fell into step beside him. “I promise. I just have to meet this guy..”

“What guy?” Happy asked, an annoyed tone in his voice. 

“Happy, I’ll be done soon, okay?” Peter smiled, walking into his office as the man held open the door. The meeting was with a man Peter had heard of briefly in the past, Aldrich Killian. He’d been a little surprised to hear that the man wanted to meet him, but from what Peter had researched on the man there was no reason not to accept the offer.

"Ah, Mr. Parker." The man stood up from where he’d been sitting on the couch and offering his hand along with a charming smile. He was quite handsome, dressed nice, he certainly looked very professional. 

"Yes..Mr. Killian, I believe?” Peter smiled, taking the man’s hand and shaking it gently.

“Aldrich, please. It’s so great to meet you at last,” The man smiled, gently squeezing Peter’s hand before letting it go. “I must say, I wasn’t expecting someone as accomplished as you to be so..young.” 

“Oh, thank you,” Peter laughed softly, shaking his head and gesturing to the couch. “shall we?” Before either of them could sit, the sound of a throat clearing behind them drew their attention. 

“You were supposed to be issued a security badge.” Happy gestured to Killian, a look on his face Peter couldn’t quite decipher. It felt tense, and Peter felt himself looking between the two men more than a little confused.

“Uh..that’s okay,” The brunette managed after a moment. “we’re good. We won’t be long.”

“I’ll be right outside,” Happy was looking at Killian as he spoke, and Peter felt like it was almost..a threat? “if you need anything.” He turned back to Peter with a serious expression.

“Thank you,” Peter nodded, a strange feeling forming in his stomach. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Peter watched as Happy left the office before turning back to Killin, throwing on a smile. “So, let’s get started, shall we? What can I do for you?” 

“Well,” The blonde started, sitting down on the couch and smiling over at Peter as he went to sit down. “if you don’t mind me taking a little of your time I have something I’d like to pitch to you..”

-

“Oh, wow..” Peter let out a soft gasp as he looked at the projected image in front of him, a detailed holographic image of the brain, lighting up the room in a soft blue light. “that’s incredible, truly.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Killian smiled over at the brunette, holding his gaze for a moment. “it's mine.”

“Yours?” Peter frowned slightly. “how..how is that possible?”

“I’ll show you,” Killian winked, moving his hand behind his ear and tapping his finger before standing up, reaching for Peter’s hand. “it’s a live feed. Come on, trust me.” He stood up onto the coffee table, the holographic image swirling slowly around him. 

“This is..” Peter accepted the man’s hand, standing up and getting onto the coffee table, looking at the intricate projection around them. “how is this possible?”

“I can show you,” Killian offered his arm, rolling up his jacket sleeve. “pinch my arm. I can take it, trust me.”

“If you say so..” Peter gently pinched the man’s skin, looking up as a part of the projection immediately lit up. “what was that?”

“That was the primary somatosensory cortex. It's the brain's pain center,” Killian explained, turning to look at Peter. “but want I wanted to show you was this..” He moved to stand behind Peter, reaching for the remote in his pocket and holding it up, the image beginning to change and move about. “as I was saying earlier, Extremis harnesses our bioelectrical potential and it goes...here,” He rested one hand on the small of Peter’s back as he showed an empty space on the protection. “this is..how should I put it, an empty slot, and it proves to us that our minds, our entire DNA, really, is destined to be upgraded.”

“I see..” Peter nodded, fascinated as he took in the sight before him. “well, that’s incredible.” 

-

“So..you’d be able to just..hack into any living organism and just..recode its entire DNA?” Peter asked, sitting up slightly on the couch.

“Exactly,” Killian nodded, leaning back on the couch and resting his arm over the back of it. “the possibilities..they’re endless.” 

“Well it certainly sounds..incredible,” Peter admitted, looking over to the blonde. “but..it also sounds dangerous. If it got into the wrong hands..” Peter took a breath, shaking his head. He knew all too well the dangers of something like that happening and he wasn’t prepared to go down a road like that again. “it could be weaponized, used to create highly enhanced soldiers and private militaries..I can’t approve of that, and I know Tony wouldn’t-”

“Ah yes..Tony..” Killian nodded, a slightly..tense tone in his voice. “we met once, you know. Tony and I. A long time ago. I invited him to join our company but, alas..” The blonde shrugged, a sigh escaping him as he looked over to Peter. “he couldn’t be convinced. But now..now there’s you. I can see how you got this position, you’re clearly more than suited for the position. Tony isn’t calling the shots anymore, right? It’s your kingdom now, Peter.” 

Peter was a little surprised, Tony had never mentioned Killian before in any capacity..

“Well I’m flattered,” Peter smiled politely, standing up and smoothing out his suit. “but I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no. Let me see you out.” 

As they walked out of the office, Peter noticed Happy watching Killian intently as they made their way outside. 

“Thank you again for agreeing to meet me,” Killian turned to Peter, a smile on his face. “though I won’t say that I'm not disappointed..but then again, as my father used to say, _'Failure is the fog through which we glimpse triumph.'_

“That's..deep,” Peter nodded, biting his lip softly. “though I must admit the meaning is lost on me..” 

“Me too,” Killian grinned. “my old man..well, he was a bit of an idiot.” 

Peter couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking his head as he looked over the man.

“I hope to see you again, Peter,” Killian offered his hand, a smile on his face. “it was a pleasure.” 

“Thank you,” Peter took the man’s hand, biting his lip softly. “see you again, Aldrich.” 

He watched the man leave, a strange curiosity about who exactly the man was, how he and Tony had met..

“There you are.” 

Peter turned around, finding Happy standing behind him, a concerned look on his face. “The car is ready.” 

“Great, I’ll just be a minute,” Peter smiled, glancing back and watching Killian get into his car before looking back at Happy. “just need to grab a couple of things.”

-

Pulling into the driveway, Peter raised an eyebrow as he took in the sight before him. 

“What in the name of..” Parking up and getting out of the car, Peter took in the sight of the giant stuffed bunny sitting in the driveway, a bright red bow around its neck. It was certainly.. _interesting_.

Heading inside, Peter ran a hand through his hair as he dropped his laptop bag down on the ground. “Hey, I’m home, sorry I’m..” He frowned as he found the living room empty. Well, mostly.. “what the hell is that?” 

Peter walked over the soft white armchair, sitting down on it and looking over to the couch, Tony in one of the Iron Man suits sitting on it. “I would have thought sweatpants were more comfortable for lounging around..what is that, Mark 15? 16?”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, clearing his throat as Peter went to untie his shoelaces. “something like that. Good day?”

“Pretty good,” Peter nodded, slipping off his shoe and working on the next one. “is it really necessary for you to be wearing that around the house? I think the only threat is a giant bunny sitting out on the driveway..” 

“You saw it, huh?” Tony stood up as Peter untied his other shoe, walking over to his boyfriend. “what did you think?”

“That thing is probably visible from space.” Peter laughed, sliding off his shoe and leaning back in the chair, curling his legs up under himself. He let out a soft sigh as Tony came to stand behind him, armoured hands landing on his shoulders.

“So I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but..you love it, right?” Tony asked as Peter slowly stood up, walking around to face his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Tony’s shoulders. 

“I love it,” Peter nodded, a smile forming on his face. “so why don’t you lift up that mask and let me show you a little gratitude..”

“Ah, no can do..” Tony wrapped one arm around Peter’s waist and knocked his other hand against the helmet. “but you could always give it a little peck on the..what do I call this thing? Facial..slit?”

“I’d rather have the real thing,” Peter grinned, stepping back from Tony. “let me go downstairs see if I can’t find something to..open you up..”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Tony lifted his hand to reach for Peter’s arm, the brunette heading for the stairs. “there was a..radiation..leak..”

“Oh well,” Peter shrugged, turning back to Tony with a grin. “maybe I’ll get super powers..”

“Probably not, really..shouldn’t..risk it..” Tony followed after Peter as he headed downstairs, raising an eyebrow at the music playing. Tony always turned it off when he left the..

“You caught me.” Tony shrugged, dropping down from the exercise bar he was using and looking over to his boyfriend.

“You’re such a dork, you know that, right?” Peter raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

“I do.” Tony nodded, a smile forming on his face. 

“You..” Peter glanced over to the bench behind Tony, frowning as he noticed a tray with an empty late sitting on it. “did you eat without me? It’s supposed to be our date night, Tony.” 

“Well, I know that, but..” Tony gestured to the suit standing beside Peter. “he wanted to..”

“You mean you,” Peter had a serious pet peeve when Tony referred to the suits as sentient. They were getting more damn attention than he was. “what exactly was so important you couldn’t greet me yourself?”

“I was just finishing up some work, didn’t want to be rude and leave you alone..” Tony folded his arms. “that didn’t seem fair.” 

“Mm.” Peter tilted his head slightly, feeling more than a little petulant. “Go on.”

“I did have something to eat, yes,” Tony frowned slightly, looking over to Peter. “because I didn't know if you were actually coming home or if you were gonna go have drinks with Aldrich Killian..”

“What?” Peter sighed, shaking his head and looking at the suit standing beside him, the helmet turning and looking at him. “oh fuck _off_..” 

“Don’t talk to him like that.” Tony sighed, drawing Peter’s attention and ire. 

“Never mind..that,” Peter snapped, waving away the suit beside him. “what the hell are you checking up on me for? Don’t you trust me?” 

“Happy was concerned.” Tony shrugged, looking away from Peter’s eyes. “Thought I should know.” 

“Oh please,” Peter muttered, irritation coursing through him. “you're spying on me. That’s..ridiculous, I’m going to bed.” He shook his head, turning and taking the first step up the stairs.

“Pete, wait. I’m sorry,” Tony called, letting out a sigh and holding up his hands as Peter turned around. “I wasn’t spying on you, I promise.” 

“Then what are you doing?” Peter asked, walking back down the stairs and looking at his boyfriend intently. 

“I’m trying to fix everything and getting nowhere,” Tony sighed, running a hand over his face. “ever since New York..things changed,” 

Peter’s expression softened slightly as he let his arms fall to his side, hoping that maybe he could finally get to the bottom of what was really going on with Tony. 

“Sometimes, you have these experiences that you can’t..explain, or really understand,” Tony looked up for a moment, running a hand through his hair before looking back at Peter. “I thought the world was simple, in a way. I understood it. But now..there’s things I can’t understand. Gods, aliens, other dimensions. And somehow..I’m caught up in it. The only reason I haven't gone completely crazy is because I have you, and I love you, I really do..” 

Peter nodded as he took in the words, a small smile on his face as he let Tony talk.

“But with everything going on and everything that’s happened..I can't sleep. I _can_ do this,” He sat down on the stool behind him, looking over to the various suits lined up. “threat is imminent, and all I want to do is protect you because you’re the most important thing in my life and I couldn’t live without you. My suits are part of me, and I need them to make sure that I can keep you safe.”

“I understand that,” Peter nodded, walking across to Tony and gently resting his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders. “but they’re also distracting you from living your life, from me..” He carefully removed the headband from Tony, setting it down on the bench and moving his hands to touch Tony’s face, tilting the older man’s head up to meet his gaze. 

“So to amend that..you’re gonna come take a long, hot bath with me and maybe I’ll forgive you for being such an idiot..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to include the giant rabbit, I'm obsessed with it 😍🐰
> 
> I'm really loving IM3 so far, there's a lot more to work with between a certain two dorks..😁🥰
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter feel free to let me know, it's always a pleasure to hear from you ❤️❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented/bookmarked on the last chapter, it means the world and I'm incredibly grateful 💛💛


	29. XXIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to worse..

“This is heavenly.” Peter smiled softly, running his fingers through the hot water, resting his back against Tony’s chest as the steam from the bath swirled around them.

“Mm.”

“Tell me you’re not that thinking about leaving me here to go downstairs.” Peter turned slightly to look at his boyfriend, letting out a soft sigh as Tony looked up for a minute, biting his lip. “there’s a whole lot more _I_ can do for you than they can.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony’s eyes focused back on the younger man, a small smile forming on his face. 

“Yeah,” Peter grinned, sitting up and turning around so he was facing Tony, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “if you let me..”

-

A shifting motion beside him and a low groan drew Peter’s attention, waking him up as he frowned, blinking awake in the dark bedroom. 

“Tony? Are you okay?” He muttered softly, rubbing his eyes and looking over to the older man, finding him clutching a pillow, shaking as he took in unsteady breaths. “Tony?” Peter leaned across to touch his boyfriend’s shoulder, trying to get him awake. “Oh my god, wake up, honey, I need you to-”

A cold touch pulling at his arm drew Peter’s attention, letting out a yell as he found himself laying back on the bed, one of the suits hovering over him, pinning him down. Before he could fully comprehend what the hell it was doing, it was forced off him by Tony, falling apart on the floor.

“I’m sorry,” The older man muttered, running a hand over his face and sitting down on the end of the bed as Peter caught his breath, trying to calm down. “I must have called it in my sleep. That's..a glitch, or something..I’ll fix it, let me just..”

“It’s okay,” Peter whispered, crawling over behind Tony and wrapping his arms around the man’s shoulders, resting his head against Tony’s neck. “just breathe..I’m here, just relax, it’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Pete.” Tony muttered, letting out a heavy breath and gripping the younger man’s arms. 

“Honey, it’s fine,” Peter smiled softly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I promise.”

-

After a long morning of being tied up in meetings, Peter was finally free to head to the hospital, cancelling everything for the rest of the day. It had been a complete shock when he’d heard that Happy had been involved in the incident at the Chinese Theatre, Peter had only heard about it a few hours before, his mind immediately turning to Pepper and Morgan. He made a quick stop to pick up some flowers and grapes, sending Tony a quick text to let him know he was on the way.

As he made his way to Happy’s room, Peter let out a soft breath as he saw Pepper sitting beside her husband’s hospital bed, her hair in a loose, her eyes red. She looked exhausted, and Peter’s heart went out to her. It hurt to see Happy laying in the bed bloodied and bruised, hooked up to machines, Peter took a breath before slowly opening the door.

“Hey,” Peter smiled softly, taking the flowers and grapes over to the table by the bed. “sorry I’m late.”

“Hey, Pete,” Pepper looked over to him, offering a small smile and standing up to walk over to him. “it’s good to see you.”

“How is he now?” Peter asked, gently rubbing Pepper’s back. 

“He’s doing better,” Pepper sighed, pulling back and gently taking the brunette’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “it’s..it’s been a long night.”

“I’m so sorry about all this,” Peter looked over to his friend, squeezing Pepper’s hand back. “I mean between dragging you out here again with Morgan, and now this..”

“Don’t worry about it,” The blonde shook her head, a small smile on her face. “this wasn’t your fault, it was just..” Pepper sighed, looking up for a moment. “a horrible accident.”

“Have you slept, at all?” Peter asked, gently rubbing Pepper’s back.

“I..no,” Pepper murmured, looking over to her husband, her eyes watering. “I came here last night as soon as my mom came to the house to watch Morgan, that was..midnight? I think, I can’t remember.” 

“Well, listen..why don’t I take you back home and you can get some sleep? Happy’s stable, I don’t think there’s going to be any major changes soon,” Peter suggested, taking in the dark circles under Pepper’s eyes. “you need to look after yourself too. Just a couple of hours, and you’ll be right back here.” 

“I don’t know..” Pepper ran a hand through her hair, clearing her throat. “if something happens..”

“They’ll alert you right away,” Peter reassured the blonde. “I think you should get some rest, it’ll make you feel better.” 

“Okay,” Pepper nodded after a moment. “yeah, that’s probably for the best. I’ll be right back, I just want to freshen up.”

“I’ll be right here when you’re ready.” Peter smiled softly, watching as the blonde left the room, sitting down beside the bed, resting his hand on the bed beside him. 

“Hey.” 

Peter looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, Tony walking into the room. 

“Hi,” Peter smiled softly, standing up and walking over to his boyfriend. “have you been here long?”

“A little while,” Tony nodded, resting his hand on Peter’s shoulder as he looked over to the bed. “where’s Pep?”

“I’m gonna take her home, she needs some rest,” Peter explained, running a hand through his hair. “she’s exhausted.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Tony nodded, letting out a breath. “I’ll stay for a while, I think.”

“Alright, can you let the nurse know Pepper’s gone home? Get them to call her if anything happens?” Peter asked, taking Tony’s hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Sure,” Tony smiled softly, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later, I love you.”

“Love you too.” Peter smiled.

-

After Peter had taken Pepper home, he made sure she was asleep before leaving his number with her mom too, just in case she needed anything. He decided to head home himself, get something to eat and shower before heading back to the hospital to check in. 

Once he was inside the car, Peter checked his phone, raising an eyebrow as he saw a news alert pop up for Tony.

“This can only be good..”

-

“Oh you have done some _vey_ stupid things before but this really takes the fucking cake!” Peter slammed his phone down on the kitchen island, anger coursing through him as Tony looked over at him from the sink.

“Hi honey, welcome home.” 

“You broadcast our address to the world when there is a very serious threat looming over you and..” Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as Tony took a sip from the mug in his hand. “we need to get out of here.”

“We absolutely don’t,” Tony raised an eyebrow, walking over to the island and setting his mug down. 

“With everything else going on right now, Tony..” Peter shook his head, taking a breath and trying to figure out a plan.

“Need to do that..” Tony muttered.

“You really know how to drive me crazy, you do know that?” Peter frowned, folding his arms. “we’re packing and leaving tonight.”

“No.” Tony shrugged, folding his arms.

“Yes.” Peter countered, resting his hands down on the countertop and trying not to let his anger make him overreact.

“Pete, I really think you’re overreacting.” Tony held up his hands, pushing Peter’s limits to the test.

“Are you _trying_ to make me want to hit you over the head with something?” The younger man asked, willing Tony’s stubbornness to dissolve for once in his life. 

“..like a cartoon character?” Tony raised an eyebrow, resting his arms on the island.

“I’m gonna go pack, and then we’re leaving.” Peter picked up his phone, turning and heading out of the kitchen. “whatever you’re about to say, zip it.”

-

Peter had no idea where exactly they were going to go, throwing clothes into the bags laid on the bed and trying to just calm himself. How could Tony be so..reckless? Yes, he was going through a tough time, but to do something so dangerous..Peter couldn’t understand it. 

As he finished packing, he dropped the two bags down into the living room, frowning as he heard Tony talking to someone, not recognizing the second voice.

“Tony, is somebody there?” Peter called, heading for the stairs, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach. 

**“** Yeah,” Tony smiled over to his boyfriend as he emerged in the living room, gesturing to the brunette woman with him. “Peter, this is Maya Hansen. Old botanist pal that I used to know, kind of. Not..barely.” 

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry we’re not more prepared for guests, it’s just a very..strange time, a lot going on.” Peter smiled politely at the woman, offering his hand. “So you’re an old..friend?” 

“Oh, no, not really,” Maya took Peter’s hand, giving it a soft shake. “it...it was more of a..one night kind of thing.”

“One..ah, I see.” Peter nodded, raising an eyebrow as he looked over to Tony. “Well, that’s..great.”

“It was a great night.” Tony shrugged, folding his arms and not quite meeting Peter’s eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Peter turned to Maya, keeping the smile plastered on his face. “you’ve saved yourself from a whole world of..this.” He gestured to Tony, who had some serious explaining to do for why some..one night stand was currently in their living room. 

“I imagine so.” Maya nodded.

“Well fun as this is,” Peter looked over to Tony, taking a breath. “we’re ready to go, bags are packed.”

“You packed even when I said no?” Tony frowned, looking over to the bags laying behind them.

“Yes.” Peter shrugged, just about resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 

“I was serious, Pete.” Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We don’t need to le-” 

“Right now, let’s go..” Peter insisted, wanting to get as far away as possible at that particular moment.

“Baby, we can talk about this,” Tony stepped closer, lightly squeezing Peter’s shoulder.

“He’s right, actually,” Maya looked over to Tony before looking at Peter. “we should leave.”

“Yeah, that’s..” Tony looked over to the woman, scratching his neck. “that's a terrible idea. Please ignore the bags, we’re staying put.”

“Tony, listen to me, okay?” Peter sighed, resting his hands on Tony’s shoulders. “this is the normal reaction to being threatened. We need to go, okay?”

“But here is where I can protect you, which is what I’m trying to-”

“Is..” Both men looked over to Maya as she gestured to the giant Bunny sitting in the corner. “is that normal?”

“Yes, that is normal. Very much so.” Tony nodded, a confused frown on his face.

“It’s..yes, very normal, if slightly.. _impractical_.” Peter smiled politely, gently squeezing Tony’s shoulder. 

“It's a big bunny, relax about it!” Tony snapped, gesturing to the rabbit as Peter gave Maya an apologetic look before turning to his boyfriend. 

“Will you calm down please? There’s bigger things going on righ-”

“I got this for you.” Tony insisted, his tone softening slightly. 

“I know you did, it was..hard to miss it.” Peter folded his arms, a small smile on his face.

“You told me you loved it!” Tony’s voice rose, his hands gesticulating wildly. 

“You lied to me about being in the suit!” Peter snapped. If Tony wanted to go down that road..

“I didn’t lie! I just..mishandled the truth, but you know-"

“Tony,” Peter held up his hand, taking a deep breath. “we are leaving the house _right_ now, do not dare argue with me on this.”

“Oh I will dare.” Tony raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

“Guys, can we save this for later?” Maya interjected, drawing the attention of the two men.

“Why?” Tony frowned.

“Because of that.” Maya explained, gesturing to the TV.

“Oh my god..” Peter’s eyes went wide, his face turning pale as he looked back at the woman. “Get down!” The brunette yelled, reaching for Tony’s hand before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The giant bunny saga continues! 🐰
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who who left kudos/comments/bookmarked the last chapter, it means the world 🥰🥰


	30. XXX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everything (literally) comes crashing down around him, Peter wants answers..

The sound of the explosion was shattering, everything around them crumbling and crashing down. Peter managed to open his eyes, letting out a gasp as he saw the familiar armour flying over to him, attaching itself to his body. He saw Tony beside him, trying to say something before the mask flew onto his face. He managed to stand up, his legs a little shaky. Looking around the rubble, he found Tony, a crumbling sound drawing his attention as he looked up to find the ceiling about to crash down on the man. He moved over, shielding his boyfriend and lifting the mask.

“I got you.”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, his breathing slightly unsteady as he looked up at Peter. “that was..guess he does have his uses.” 

“Come on,” Peter held Tony’s arm, helping him up. “we need to get out of here.”

A loud whirring in the distance drew their attention, a drone shooting through the window and blowing Tony back behind the couch.

“Tony!” Peter went to move over to him, stopping as the floor gave way in front of him. 

“It’s alright!” Tony called, getting up from behind the couch and looking over to his boyfriend. “I’ll be right behind you, I just need to find a way around.”

“I can’t leave you here,” In spite of the armour around him, Peter had never felt so useless, so vulnerable. “I need to do something!”

“Just..get her,” Tony pointed behind Peter, the brunette turning and finding Maya laying on the ground. “and get outside. Go, I’ll be right out!”

Peter hesitated for a moment before nodding, heading over to Maya, reaching for her arm and helping her up. They made their way to the front of the house, Peter lifting his hand and frowning as nothing happened. He tried again, shaking his head and letting his hand fall to his side as it still didn’t work, letting out a shout and holding tightly to Maya as they were blasted forward, crashing through the windows and landing on the front drive in a heap. 

“Are you okay?” Peter asked, slowly getting up and wincing slightly at the pain in his side. Maya nodded to him, and Peter turned his attention back to the house, his breath catching in his throat as the front crashed down.

“Tony!” Peter yelled, his heart beating faster than it ever had. He couldn’t think straight, letting out a gasp as the armour around him began removing itself, flying back into the house. That was a good sign, he hoped, needed to believe.

He couldn’t move as he watched the helicopter at the back of the house crash down into it, explosions and crashing and smoke everywhere rendering Peter frozen, his own heartbeat drowning out everything else.

After a moment his body kicked into gear, making his way across the rubble and stopping as he realised most of the house had fallen over the cliff. Peter looked around him, trying to find any trace of Tony, looking out at the sea and finding the house, cars, everything they had falling below the surface. There was no sign of Tony anywhere, and Peter’s heart stopped beating for a moment, unable to do anything but scream.

-

Everything felt like a blur.

The police and firefighters arrived, and Peter managed to pull himself together enough to talk to them, grateful when they had everything they needed. He walked over to the edge of the rubble, looking out at the sea and taking a breath as he watched the sun dip below the horizon. He had a ton of calls and texts on his phone, knowing he should respond but what was he supposed to say?

It wasn’t the end. There was no way it could be. Peter had been in this situation before, and he refused to believe that this time would be it. The thought of being without Tony was..unthinkable, and Peter refused to even wonder if..

Looking away, his gaze settled on one of the Iron Man helmets laying amongst the rubble, split down the middle of it. Reaching down, Peter carefully took it in his hands to lift it up, a shaky breath escaping him. 

This, this was why he was here. 

The tears flowed down his cheeks before he could stop them, resting his forehead against the helmet and taking a breath, closing his eyes and pushing away every thought. He just wanted to forget about everything for a moment, remember whe-

A slight beeping sound drew his attention, looking up and trying to find where it came from. He turned the helmet, letting out a soft gasp as he saw a small red light blink, his heart beating faster as he slowly lifted the helmet onto his head. It probably wouldn’t do anything, and he blinked as he saw the HUD lighting up, he could never figure out how the hell Tony worked this thing and-

“Stark Secure Server. Retinal scan: Verified.” A voice sounded, Peter feeling confused as to what exactly was happening.

And then..he heard Tony’s voice, and everything suddenly felt okay, a relieved smile forming on Peter’s face as he listened to the message. 

_“Pete, it's me. I don’t have a ton of time so I just wanted to say that I am so sorry, about..well, everything, really. Except the giant bunny. That I stand by. Anyway, I just can’t apologise enough for putting you in danger, that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, and you know every single stupid thing I’ve ever done. I also need to give a preemptive apology, because...I can't come home yet. I need to figure out what exactly is going on, find this guy, take him out. You need to stay safe, that’s the most important thing. I..I love you so much, I feel like I don’t say that nearly enough..but I do, and I’m gonna fix this. I promise.”_

Peter took off the helmet, wiping away the tears streaming down his face, feeling overwhelmed with relief that Tony was safe, taking a deep breath and clutching the helmet tightly. 

After a moment, he reached for his phone, sending a quick text to Pepper to let her know Tony was okay. She was under enough stress, the least Peter could do was get back to her first. He’d handle everyone else later. Tony was safe, now he needed to figure out what the hell was going on. 

Looking over across the driveway, Peter’s eyes fell on Maya, taking a breath and walking over to her. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Peter asked, examining the cuts on the brunette’s face. 

“Yeah,” Maya nodded, taking a breath. “I’ll be fine.”

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” Peter gestured to his car, feeling like he needed to start getting some answers. 

-

“Can I ask you something?” Peter took a breath, glancing over to the woman beside him for a moment as he drove them away from the house. 

“Sure, go ahead.” Maya shrugged, looking over to Peter before looking out the window.

“I’m presuming there was some reason why you came to the house, and I..” Peter tried to push a lot of the..irrational thoughts from his mind. It was probably something simple, or so he hoped. “I need to know why. What was so important that you had to speak to Tony?” 

“It’s about the Mandarin. I think..I think my boss is working for him. So, if you still want to talk about it, then I think we should go somewhere safe.” Maya explained.

So, definitely _not_ simple then. Great. 

“Hang on,” Peter frowned, trying to focus on the road ahead of him. “You think your boss works for the Mandarin? But Tony said you're a botanist, how exactly does that work out?”

“I know what he said,” Maya muttered. “what I actually am is a biological DNA coder running a team of forty out of a privately-funded think tank, but hey, if you want to call me a botanist then..”

“Alright, well..your boss,” Peter snipped, slightly. “who are they?”

“Aldrich Killian.”

“Aldrich..you’re kidding?” Peter’s blood ran cold, gripping the wheel as he glanced over to Maya.

“Deadly serious,” Maya shifted slightly in her seat, pointing to the upcoming turn. “there’s a hotel just up there we could go to. We can talk there.

They were quiet as they arrived at the hotel, heading inside and getting a cheap room. After ordering room service and sitting down on the bed, Peter focused his attention on Maya.

“Okay, so what exactly is the situation we’re dealing with here?”

-

“So, how did it get so far, how could it go from something so pure to..” Peter sighed, running a hand over his face. Maya had explained everything about her research, Extremis, Killian. It had been a lot to take in and Peter was determined to get to the bottom of it all.

“How does anything?” Maya shrugged, biting her lip softly as she shook her head. “At the beginning it’s all about the science. Seeing your work come to life. Then you get some money thrown your way, things start to escalate, egos step in, more money gets thrown around..next thing you know..you don’t even recognise where you are anymore.”

“I understand,” Peter nodded, curling his legs up under himself and looking over at Maya. “I mean, you gave your research to a think tank, you weren’t to know everything they’d do with it, how could you possibly?”

“That may be,” Maya sighed, running a hand through her hair. “but Killian built that think tank on military contracts. I mean, I should’ve known that it would end up..the way it has.” 

“Well I can’t say much, SI was built on the same thing, and yet we managed to change. So don’t be too hard on yourself.” Peter reached over and gently touched Maya’s shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. If anyone knew what it was like to see weapons or ideas taken by someone with ill intentions, well..Peter really didn’t want to relive that again. 

“Thank you, Peter,” Maya nodded, a small smile on her face as she looked over to the door, a knock sounding on it. “I really appreciate that.”

“I’ll get it.” Peter smiled softly, getting up from the bed and walking to the door, opening it and smiling as the hotel employee began pushing in the tray of food they’d ordered. 

And then, Peter watched in horror as a figure moved up behind the man, hands wrapping around his neck, snapping it and letting him fall forward onto the floor.

“What the.. _oh god_..” Peter looked up from the man on the floor to find Aldrich Killian smiling at him, walking into the room and closing the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it before but damn I love Iron Man 3, I've never been so excited about writing this story 😁😍
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter feel free to let me know, it's always a pleasure to hear from you ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback and read this so far, it means so much and I am eternally grateful 💛💛


	31. XXXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finds himself in a very precarious position..

Peter turned to the bed, his eyes wide as he looked over to Maya. “Run!” 

As he went to try and get away himself, Peter felt a hand on his arm, pulling him back with force and spinning him around. He let out a sharp gasp as he was slammed up against the wall. He looked up to see Killian reach for his throat, gripping it tightly and holding him in place.

“Hey Peter. Been a minute, hasn't it?” Killian smiled, squeezing his hand around Peter’s throat as the brunette tried to pull his hand away. 

Maya stood from the bed, walking over and looking between the two men. Peter met her eyes, silently pleading for help as he desperately tried to get killain’s hand off his throat.

“So,” Killian turned to the woman, letting out a sigh. “would you care to explain what you were doing at Stark’s mansion last night or do I have to force it out of you?”

Maya looked over to Peter for a moment, a remorseful glint in her eyes before she turned to her boss. “I'm trying to improve the situation, clean up the messes, fix things. How the hell was I supposed to know that you and the master were gonna blow the place up?”

“Let me get this straight,” Killian frowned, tightening his grip on Peter’s neck as the brunette let out a strangled sob, clawing at the man’s hand. “Stark _threatens_ us and your response is to play the hero and rescue him?”

Maya folded her arms, letting out a sigh as she shook her head. “We can use him, you know that. If you had just..”

Peter dug his nails into Killian’s hand, trying to stretch his other arm forward to grab at the man, feeling himself slipping, his vision blurring slightly. 

“Peter, don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” Killian looked over at him, swatting his arm away with a harsh slap. “Shh.”

“If you’re serious about getting the product out there by next year,” Maya drew Killian’s attention, shifting slightly on her feet. “I need Stark. There’s no other way around it. Before, there was no incentive for him to come onboard. Now there is.” 

Peter looked at the two others, their eyes focused on him as he felt himself struggle to stand, his breathing fading and everything fading to black.

-

It was..cold, and then warm, too warm. Uncomfortable, unnatural. 

Peter snapped his eyes open, gasping for breath as he came around. The last thing he remembered was being in a hotel room, then..Killian..

“Look who’s finally awake.” 

There was something holding him, Peter realised, looking down and finding himself standing upright with straps around him. He looked down, realising he was only wearing the gym leggings he’d been wearing that day, and there was some kind of..glowing red drip in his arm. Peter looked around trying to figure out where he was, it seemed to be a storage container or warehouse, he couldn’t think straight. 

“You really think Tony would ever help you?” The brunette snapped, turning his attention to Killian, anger coursing through him. “dream on.”

Killian tilted his head slightly, a smirk on his face as he stepped closer, his eyes burning into Peter’s skin. “He will, don’t you worry about that.” The man folded his arms, smirking slightly as he kept his eyes on Peter. But that’s not the only reason you’re here. It’s..well, I’m a little embarrassed to admit but you’re here as my..”

“What, some kind of..trophy?” Peter snapped, feeling slightly sick at the thought. He didn’t know where he was or what exactly was being done to him but he knew it wasn’t good, and the way Killian was looking at him made his skin itch.

“Trophy? No, no..” Killian laughed, shaking his head and stepping closer to Peter, his face close to the brunette’s, his eyes flickering down Peter’s body before looking back up. “you’re far more than that..”

A door opening drew Killian’s attention, and Peter felt relieved for a brief moment to have the man away from him. Whatever the hell Killian was doing or planning to do to him..Tony would stop it, Peter desperately clung to the thought. As he looked over, he felt shock pulse through him as he saw the Iron Patriot armour walking into the room flanked by two guards. It couldn’t be..

“Rhodey?” Peter’s voice was barely louder than a whisper, his stomach dropping. 

“Good evening, sir” Killian saluted, stepping back as the armour opened, President Elis falling out of it and onto the floor as Peter gasped. This was bad, this was worse than bad. “Welcome aboard our humble ship, Mr President.”

Peter could only watch in horror as the two guards picked up the president, dragging him out of the room as Killian looked back at him with a grin. 

“Don’t worry, your turn will come soon.” 

-

There had to be some way out, something he could do. Peter struggled against the straps holding him, his body feeling warmer and warmer, his skin itching. There was a shooting pain in his head and he was seriously hoping this was all just a really bad dream. He didn’t know how long he’d been left alone, and dreaded to think what would happen to him upon Killian’s return. He could hear loud crashes and noises outside, and he closed his eyes, feeling like he wanted to scream but nothing was coming out. 

As he was struggling to free himself, a huge blast shot through the wall beside him, heat overwhelming him as he was sent hurtling sideways, closing his eyes tight letting out a shout as he felt pain rip through him. The straps around him broke free and he felt himself being thrown to the ground, a cold, heavy weight landing on top of him. He could smell smoke, hear sparks shooting somewhere close by and knew he needed to get up. The minute he tried to stand he cried out, realising he was stuck. 

Peter struggled to breathe for a moment, trying to keep calm and think about what the hell he was going to do. He looked up as he heard metallic footsteps on the ground, wincing as the structure on him began to lift, fragmented metal shards coming closer to him, 

“Stop!” He yelled, taking a deep breath and looking over to find Tony crouching down to look at him. “Put it down, put it down. Slowly.” 

Tony slowly lifted down the structure, his eyes focused on Peter. “Hey there John McClane.”

Peter let out a breath, shaking his head and laughing softly. Mostly in relief, a little bit because he just couldn’t help it. “You’re such an ass, Tony.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” Tony grinned, reaching for Peter’s hand. As Peter went to grab it the metal creaked above him, his heart pounding like crazy. “come on. Little further..” 

Peter strained his hand outwards, trying to reach Tony. He tried to forget about everything else, just tried to get to Tony. 

“Come on, almost there..little more, baby,” Tony managed to grasp Peter’s fingers before letting them go, looking down to his chest. Peter looked over, a glowing, molten red hand pushing against the armour Tony had on, burning through it. 

As Tony fell back onto the floor, Peter winced as he turned to see Killian climb up through the floor, looking over at him with a smirk.

“Is this guy bothering you? I’ll deal with him.” 

Peter tried to move, watching with horor as Killian moved on top of Tony, holding him down and dressing his firy hand to Tony’s chest. He let out a gasp as he heard a sharp sound, Killian letting out a shout as he fell back. 

There was a loud creaking sound and Peter’s heart was in his mouth as he looked up, letting out a scream as the floor gave way beneath him, falling through it and ending up hanging half upside down, trying to breath. He managed to hold himself up, grabbing onto a broken metal bar and clinging to it, the wrecked structure beginning to move forward. He looked around him, trying to figure out what was going on, his heart beating like crazy. It seemed like he was on a ship that was rapidly being destroyed by the fires and crashing noises all around him. He looked back, his eyes widened as he saw a broken, sparking structure behind him that he was steadily heading for. 

His hand slipped from the bar, leaving him upside down and desperately trying to get back up. He heard a loud bang beside him and let out a tiny breath of relief as he saw Tony standing below him, reaching out to him.

“Pete, it’s okay,” The older man called, trying to reach for Peter’s hand. relax, I got you.”

“Tony..” Peter whispered, desperately trying to reach for his boyfriend's hand and just missing it. He let out a frustrated groan, trying harder and failing to just push forward and reach Tony’s hand.

“Honey, I can't reach any further and you can't stay there,” Tony called, his eyes focused on Peter and full of love. “alright? You've got to let go.”

“I can’t!” Peter called, fear gripping him. He tried pushing forward to no avail, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. 

“You've got to let go!” Tony insisted, reaching his hand out. “I'll catch you, I promise.”

Peter nodded after a moment, taking a deep breath. There was no other choice, and he trusted Tony with his life. He’d be okay. Bracing himself, Peter let go, reaching out for Tony’s hand.

Until he felt his heart drop from his chest, his fingers losing their grip. He let out a scream as he felt himself fall, Tony’s eyes the last thing he saw before he fell into the flames below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You gotta love a cliffhanger..😁
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 🥰🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos/comments/bookmarked it's so so appreciated ❤️❤️


	32. XXXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when it seems all hope is lost..

Peter opened his eyes, his entire body feeling like it was on fire. He slowly stood up, a burning sensation shooting through him as he took a few breaths. There was so much noise around him, crashing and burning, flames everywhere. He looked down at himself, frowning as he saw a red glow pulsing through him. Before he could dwell on it, he heard a loud shouting coming from nearby, picking up a large metal pole laying near him and walking towards the source of the noise. 

He could see Killian in the distance, anger coursing through him as he stalked towards him. 

“It’s over Tony!” Killian yelled, raising his arms up. “I am the Mandarin!”

Peter lifted the pole in his hands, swinging it forward and hitting Killian, watching the man go flying backwards. He dropped the pole, taking a breath as he looked over, finding Tony sitting on the ground.

“Don’t look at me, I’m out.” 

Peter looked up as he heard a whooshing sound shooting through the air, seeing one of the suits flying towards him. Something took over him,a kind of force pushing him forward. He lifted his hand, reaching it outwards as the suit approached, the armour crashing against it and spinning away. He watched as it began moving in the air, powering up once more. He looked over to Tony, his breathing ragged as he ran towards him.

“What? Are you mad at me?” Tony frowned, sliding his knee up as Peter approached. Peter kept running towards Peter, jumping up and hitting his foot off Tony’s knee, flipping into the air and grabbing the suit as it flew over to him. He slammed it down on the ground, punching through it and standing up, the arm of the suit now attached to his arm. He looked over to Killian, the man slowly approaching him, his body wrecked. Peter lifted his arm, the repulsor shooting forward and hitting Killian, the man exploding in a huge burst of flames

Peter felt himself begin to slip back into reality, looking at the scene before him with wide eyes as he tried to calm his breathing, slowly lowering his arm.

“Pete? Honey?” Turning around slowly, Peter found Tony walking over to him.

“Told you I could do more for you than the suits.” Peter shrugged, a small smile on his face. 

“I guess you can,” Tony nodded, letting out a breath as he focused on Peter. “You just scared the absolute hell out of me, you do realise that? I mean..I thought you were..”

Peter tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. It would take a lot more than that to bring him down. “What, dead? Because I fell two hundred feet? Who's the hot mess now?”

Tony let out a soft laugh, a smile on his face that made Peter’s heart soar. “Still me, mostly. Your hat has been well and truly thrown in the ring though. Why don't you dress like this at home?” Tony stepped closer, his eyes raking down Peter’s body before looking back up at his eyes. “The whole..shirtless, leggings..sweat..dripping thing, I like it.”

“I’m sure you do,” Peter nodded, smiling softly as he looked around him, taking in the destroyed suit, his heart beating fast in his chest as he looked into Tony’s eyes. “I think I finally understand why you don't want to give the suits up. What am I supposed to complain about now huh?”

“Pete, it’s _me_. There will _always_ be something to complain about.” Tony smiled, reaching out for Peter’s hand. “Come here, I need to make sure you’re really here and I’m not just hallucinating all this.” 

Peter instinctively went to take Tony’s hand before stepping back. “No, don't touch me.” He muttered, looking down at himself. That..thing Killian put in him might still be in there and he’d seen what Killian had done when he touched Tony. 

“It’s okay, come here.” Tony smiled, stepping closer as Peter moved his hand away. 

“No, what if I burn you?” Peter frowned, looking over to Tony with a helpless look. “Is..am I okay? What was that?”

“You’re fine,” Tony smiled, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around Peter’s waist. “Mostly. I mean, you’re still with me so everything will never be okay all the time. But..” Tony let out a breath, looking up for a moment before looking back at Peter. “I think I can figure this out. I mean, I almost had this 20 years ago when I was drunk, and while my memory isn’t..well it’s pretty great, actually. So I can make it okay. It’s what I do, and I think my skills are better used on you.” 

Peter smiled softly, wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck, relieved that there was no damage being done. “So..all those distractions of yours, where do they fit into this?”

“They don’t,” Tony smiled softly. “well, I'm going to make some serious adjustments. Starting with..Jarvis. Hey.”

“All wrapped up here, sir. Will there be anything else?” The AI’s voice sounded, Peter smiling to himself as he held onto Tony.

“As a matter of fact there will,” Tony nodded. “go for it buddy.”

“The Clean Slate Protocol, sir?”

“That’s the one,” Tony smiled, moving his hand to Peter’s cheek and gently stroking it. “think of this as an extra present..” Tony wrapped Peter up in his arms, embracing him tightly. “If you tell me that giant bunny was better than this I swear to God..”

“Well..” Peter looked up at the sky, the suits rising up and exploding into a burst of sparks, his heart bursting alongside them. “I love this, and I love you.”

“I love you too.” Tony murmured softly. “I’m never letting you go again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it before, I'll say it again - I LOVE IRON MAN 3 ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> There's a little more to come before I move on to..Age of Ultron! 🎉🥳
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 😁🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback, it means the world, and is such a huge motivator to keep stories going 💛💛💛


	33. XXXIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to move forward..

After a couple of attempts (“Are you _sure_ you know what you’re doing?” “Yes.” “ _Ow!_ ” “Oh shut up.”) to get the last of the Extremis free of Peter’s body, Tony succeeded, and Peter felt like it was the first step towards getting their lives back on track after everything that had happened. 

They made their way back to California, checking into a hotel while they went over their plans. Peter wanted to move forward, and suggested they just move to New York permanently. They already had a home there, Peter could run the company from there..really there was no reason not to. Tony had been a little reluctant at first, but conceded that they had to carry on, let the past stay in the past.

Part of that step forward, Peter was shocked to find out, included Tony deciding to have surgery to remove the shrapnel in his chest. It had come up when they were in the hospital visiting Happy, who was thankfully recovering rapidly. Pepper looked much better, threatening to kill Tony if he ever made such a huge mess again, hugging him tightly as soon as she saw him. Peter had gone to get a cup of weak hospital coffee when Tony followed him, asking if they could go outside for a talk.

Peter only agreed to Tony having the surgery once he was sure it was safe, and even then he was still worried beyond belief. He agreed when he realised Tony was serious about it, wanting to take the step forward. Peter watched about half the surgery being performed, Rhodey by his side and gently squeezing his shoulder for reassurance, before he couldn’t watch anymore, heading outside and sitting on a bench, crying into his hands. It was one the biggest reliefs of his life when Tony opened his eyes on the hospital bed, smiled at Peter and promptly teased him for being a cry-baby.

A couple of days after Tony was released from the hospital, he asked Peter to join him on a drive, refusing to give any more details. Peter had learned long ago to stop expecting more answers from Tony, just agreeing and wrapping his arm around his boyfriend’s waist as they left the hotel they were staying in, getting into the car and heading off.

It had been pretty confusing when they ended up on the familiar road to their former home, Peter’s heart jumping into his throat as Tony pulled into the driveway, the ruins still there, a painful reminder. Tony had just gotten out of the car, gone around to the passenger seat and held out his hand, Peter not hesitating to accept it.

“I hope you didn’t bring me here just to make me feel incredibly depressed..” Peter asked, frowning as Tony walked over to the edge of the cliff and held Peter’s hand tightly before reaching into his pocket, taking out the arc reactor, examining it for a moment.

“The opposite, actually,” Tony smiled softly, looking over to his boyfriend. “I would let you do the honours but you have a history of sentimentalising these things..”

“That was one time,” Peter rolled his eyes, smiling to himself as he looked over at Tony. “and you realise this is the _epitome_ of sentimental?” 

“So,” Tony continued, ignoring Peter’s giggling and looking out to the ocean with a smile. “here’s to the future. To us.” He lifted his arm, throwing the arc reactor into the sea and wrapping his arm around Peter’s shoulder, gently kissing the top of the younger man’s head. 

-

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, Peter hummed to himself as he put on some deodorant, running a hand through his hair and walking into the bedroom. He was a little surprised to see that Tony wasn’t there. He heard his phone ringing on the nightstand, walking over to it and picking it up, heading to the closet.

“Hey May, don’t worry we didn’t forget. Yeah, I’m just getting ready now,” Peter rested the phone between his cheek and shoulder, opening the closet and looking through the various clothes. “mmhm, I know, I know the place, is it good? I haven’t heard much..” He took out a pair of black jeans and a navy sweater, taking them over to the bed and laying them down. “okay, sounds good. We’ll see you soon. Love you too.”

He got dressed after the call, fixing his hair and putting on some cologne, taking a look in the mirror before heading out to the living room, frowning as he realised Tony wasn’t there. 

“Hey, Jarvis? Could you tell me where Tony is, please?”

“Mr. Stark is currently on the sixth floor laboratory with Dr. Banner, sir.” 

“Still?” Peter frowned. Bruce had called by..hours ago just to drop something off with Tony. “Okay, thank you J.”

Peter headed to the elevator, pushing the button for the sixth floor and folding his arms, aware he didn’t have much time before they had to leave. As the doors dinged open, he stepped into the lab, looking around and spotting Tony and Bruce in the corner, talking about something, heading over to them.

“..which, that’s weird, right? I was thirteen, why did I still need one? Anyway,”

“Hey,” Peter smiled a little tightly, approaching the two men and raising an eyebrow as he realised Bruce was half asleep. “sorry to interrupt..”

“We were just talking,” Tony smiled, Bruce giving a tired nod and sitting up slightly. “no worries.”

“Well we’re supposed to be meeting May for dinner in fifteen minutes,” Peter sighed, folding his arms. “don’t tell me you forgot?”

“Of course not,” Tony waved a hand, rolling his hands slightly with a guilty smile as Bruce practically leapt to his feet. “don’t..of course not..”

“I’d better be off,” Bruce ran a hand through his hair, offering Peter a somewhat relieved smile. “nice seeing you, Pete. Tony, always..fun.” 

“See you later, Bruce,” Peter smiled, watching the doctor leave before turning to Tony with a frow. “you, shower, now.”

“Is that an invite?” Tony grinned, standing up and moving closer to his boyfriend. 

“Tony.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for Iron Man 3! I think it's pretty fitting that it should end on chapter 33 (unintentionally but still 😁)
> 
> Up next is Age of Ultron, which I'm excited to start, and move into the more Avengers based era because the Iron Man individual films are offically done! 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this, please feel free to let me know, feedback is always welcome ❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback so far, it means so much and I can't possibly thank you enough 💛💛💛


	34. 3 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony hides something from Peter..

After a long day of seemingly endless meetings with terrible coffee and stalled negotiations, Peter was more than relieved to be heading back home, giving his driver a tired but polite smile as he got into the car. It was a relief to know it was date night, and it was Tony's turn to plan it. The thought of a romantic dinner on the terrace, or just curling up the couch watching a movie was heavenly, and Peter felt relaxed for the first time all day as he watched the sun dip below the horizon on the warm June evening.

As the car pulled up outside the tower, Peter ran a hand through his hair, getting out of the car and nodding at his driver. "Thank you James, have a nice evening." 

He walked through the lobby, smiling at couple of the employees as he made his way to the elevator, turning as he heard his voice called. 

"Zoe," Peter smiled as the blonde approached. "hey, I meant to text you when I left but I totally forgot, it's been..it's been a _long_ day." 

"Don't worry," Zoe grinned, waving a hand and running a hand through her new pixie cut blonde hair. "that's about to change. Everything is taking care of for tonight, tomorrow's meeting has been postponed to ten-thirty and Mr. Stark is currently waiting for you upstairs."

"You're an angel," Peter sighed, smiling as he gently touched Zoe's arm. "thank you. I'll see you in the morning, have a good night."

"You too," Zoe smiled, giving her boss a nod. "enjoy your evening." 

Peter shrugged off his navy suit jacket as he stepped through the elevator into the penthouse, frowning as there was no sign of Tony. He walked to the kitchen, finding it deserted. 

"Hey, J?" Peter asked, opening the fridge and getting a bottle of water. "is Tony home?" 

When he didn't get an answer, Peter's suspicion increased tenfold. Jarvis ignoring him was always a sign Tony was up to something he didn't want Peter knowing about. Taking a sip of water, Peter took a moment before heading upstairs, deciding to check there first before starting the manhunt for his boyfriend. 

"Tony?" He called, walking down the hall to their bedroom, finding the door slightly ajar. "are you up here?" 

"Hey," Tony appeared in the bedroom doorway, trying to look far more casual than he sounded. "you're home, how was your day?" 

"Hi," Peter smiled softly, folding his arms as he approached the bedroom, raising an eyebrow as Tony stepped forward, very unsubtle in his effort to close the door. "it was..really long, I really need date night, so.." The younger man leaned in, placing a soft kiss against his boyfriend's lips before pulling back. "I hope you have something special planned." 

"Obviously," Tony grinned, clearing his throat as Peter went to open the bedroom door. "let's go downstairs." 

"Just a minute," Peter smiled, determined to find out what Tony was hiding. "I want to get changed."

"You look great," Tony smiled, wrapping his arms around Peter's waist and stepping forward so they were away from the door. "I promise. Come on, I have something great pla-" 

"Even so," Peter sighed softly, gently rubbing Tony's arms before stepping out of his grasp and heading for the bedroom door opening it before Tony could stop him. "I won't be a..are you.." Taking in the small travel bag on the bed, Peter turned around with a frown, folding his arms. "are you _actually kidding me?_ " 

"I can explain," Tony held his hands up, walking across the bedroom to Peter, who promptly walked over to the bag on the bed. "you see I was planning to tell you sooner.."

"Oh you mean like last time?" Peter raised an eyebrow, looking over at his boyfriend with a thoroughly unamused expression. "when you waited until you were on the damn jet to tell me? Or the time _before that_ when Nat told me thinking I already knew?" 

"To be _fair_ ," Tony raised an eyebrow, resting his hands in his pockets. "she _did_ kick my ass a little for that one." 

"Good," Peter sighed, walking over to his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around his neck. "why can't you ever just.." He let his eyes trail down to Tony's lips before looking back up at his eyes. "give me a proper goodbye?" 

"That's what you want baby?" Tony murmured softly, wrapping his arms around Peter's waist.

"Just _once_ ," Peter nodded, gently stroking the older man's neck. "before you go gallivanting around the world looking for that damn stick," 

"It's a _sceptre_ , actually," Tony frowned. 

"I'd like you to just tell me while I can still make the most of you being here." Peter smiled, tilting his head up pouting ever so slightly. 

"Then let's make the most of it," Tony grinned, leaning in closer and ghosting his lips over Peter's. "Sokovia can wait." 

"Sokovia?" Peter raised an eyebrow, looking up at the older man with slight confusion. 

"Sokovia." Tony murmured softly, resting his forehead against Peter's and gently gliding his hands down the younger man's body, lifting him up as Peter let out a soft gasp, wrapping his legs around Tony's waist. "Which can wait. I think I need to give you something to keep you going while I'm gone, don't I?" 

Peter smiled softly, moving his hands to Tony's face and giving him a quick kiss as the older man began walking over to the bed. "Yes, daddy.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we begin Age of Ultron! 🥳
> 
> Which, I must admit, isn't my favourite MCU film 👀
> 
> So, I will be making a whole lot of changes while still trying to keep the narrative as is so..wish me luck! 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you'll enjoy it, and I hope you enjoyed this very gentle easing in chapter!
> 
> 💛💛💛


	35. 3 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's party time! Too bad there's a gatecrasher..

When Tony and the others returned from Sokovia with the stick ( _Sceptre,_ as Tony kept insisting while Peter just smiled and continued feigning ignorance) it was a huge relief. Every time Tony left, there was a small part of Peter that just couldn’t escape the thought that he wouldn’t come back, and no matter how hard he tried he could never truly rest until Tony was home. Though that wasn’t necessarily the case this time.

Tony and Bruce had been locked away in the lab for three days working on something that Peter apparently wasn’t allowed to be privy too. Every evening when Peter went down to the lab to try and get some idea what exactly was going on he was promptly shooed away (lovingly) by Tony. That only increased his curiosity, particularly as he knew they had that damn stick in there and as Peter repeatedly told the two of them, he didn’t want them (Tony) to do something stupid (Tony) and leave Peter with a load of mess to clean up or someone (Tony) might find themselves sleeping on the couch for the forseeable future. As it was Tony was already practically spending every night in the lab anyway, and Peter’s various attempts to convince him to come to bed proved fruitless.

That Saturday, after having brunch with Pepper (who was happily pregnant with her and Happy’s second child and positively glowing), and picking up his suit for the party that night, Peter headed back to the tower to make sure everything was ready. As he was being driven back he sent a quick _‘Get Well Soon!’_ text to Zoe, who was currently laid up in bed in flu, and caught up on some emails as he tried not to worry that Tony would somehow choose work over their friends that night.

Once Peter was happy everything was ready for the party, he decided to finish off some work down in the office before heading back upstairs to get ready. He took his time in the shower, humming to himself as he lathered himself with a vanilla body wash. It was more than a pleasant surprise when the bathroom door opened and Tony walked in, wordlessly undressing and joining Peter in the shower, the younger man tempted to let their guests just celebrate without them for the night.

-

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Peter asked as he ran a comb through his hair, looking over from the mirror to the closet where Tony was putting on a navy waistcoat over a white shirt.

“Yeah, why?” Tony frowned, looking over to his boyfriend as Peter simply shrugged, turning back to the mirror and fixing his hair.

“Nothing,” Peter raised an eyebrow at a rogue curl, picking up the gel sitting on the dresser and combing a little more into his hair. “it looks nice.”

“Nice?”

Peter took a breath, knowing he shouldn’t have started anything so close to the party. He set his comb down, looking over to his boyfriend with a smile. “Yes, Tony. You look very nice. So don’t-”

“That’s it,” Tony sighed, unbuttoning the waistcoat and hanging it back up. 

“..get changed.” Peter sighed, walking over to Tony and wrapping his arms around the older man’s waist, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder. “I love you in anything, you know that.”

“Even so,” Tony murmured, unbuttoning the shirt and turning around to gently rest his hands on Peter’s face. “I want to look better than nice. Especially when you look so beautiful.”

“I’m just being casual tonight,” Peter rolled his eyes slightly with a grin, moving his hands to Tony’s waist and glancing down at his own outfit of a light grey t-shirt and charcoal grey blazer and pants. “I was going to let you take the spotlight.”

“And yet the spotlight is always on you, as far as I’m concerned anyway.” Tony smiled softly, giving Peter a quick kiss before stepping back and turning to the closet, shrugging off his shirt.

“I’m gonna go downstairs before you make me more late,” Peter took in the sight of Tony’s muscular back for a moment before clearing his throat, smiling as he walked to the door, looking back and biting his lip. “see you down there.”

-

“Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?" Rhodey grinned, taking a sip of his drink as Peter looked across him to Maria Hill, raising an eyebrow before taking a long drink.

"Boom! Are you looking..” Rhodey frowned, looking between Maria and Peter as the latter gave him an apologetic smile, biting his lip. “Everywhere else that story kills, just so you know.” 

“No it’s..it’s good,” Peter nodded, gently touching Rhodey’s arm. “I swear it’s..Thor!” 

“Thor?” Maria raised an eyebrow, glancing behind her as Rhodey shook his head. 

“Thor, it’s so good to see you!” Peter beamed as the God approached, embracing the hug offered to him. 

“Ah, Peter! Good to see you too my friend,” Thor grinned, gently (well, gently as he could) patting Peter’s back before stepping back and smiling at Rhodey and Maria. “Colonel Rhodes, Miss Hill.”

“How have you been?” Peter asked, gently touching Thor’s arm. “How’s Jane? I’m sorry she couldn’t make it.”

“I’ve been good,” Thor nodded. “Jane’s great, she’s actually in Norway at the moment, or was it Japan? She’s always somewhere in the world with her work.”

“Oh of course,” Peter smiled, “I was just reading that she was being considered for the Nobel prize, you must be so proud.”

“Very much so.” The blonde nodded, a smile on his face that matched the love and pride in his eyes, making Peter smile. 

“Let me just get another drink,” Peter gestured to his glass, turning to the small group with a smile. I’ll be right back, why don’t you tell Thor about your story, Rhodey?”

“One Tony Stark is enough,” Rhodey sighed, rolling his eyes at Peter with a hint of a smile. “thank you very much.”

Peter made his way down to the bar, smiling and giving a quick _‘Hey how are you?’_ to a couple of people on the way there that he only kind of recognized (Tony always insisted on inviting all these people and Peter was stuck trying to match names and faces). He slowed down slightly as he saw Bruce and Natasha talking closely, the redhead leaning in to whisper something to the doctor before he pulled away with a smile, giving her a nod and heading back into the crowd.

“Hey gorgeous.” Natasha smiled as Peter approached, setting his empty glass down on the bar and leaning on it.

“Hey beautiful. Hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Peter grinned, glancing over across the crowd to where Bruce and Steve were engaged in a conversation before looking back at Natasha.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” The redhead raised an eyebrow, reaching below the bar before placing two bottles of beer on the counter. “I was just here minding my own business.”

“Mm,” Peter nodded, taking one of the bottles and standing upright. “I’m sure you were. And I’m sure Bruce was minding it too.”

“Maybe he was,” Natahsa shrugged elegantly, lifting the other bottle and clinking it against Peter’s before taking a sip, looking over to the doctor. “would that be terrible?”

“Not at all,” Peter beamed, taking a sip of his beer. He saw the way Natasha was looking at Bruce and felt vindicated for all those times he’d told Tony they’d be good together. “it’s good for him to branch out, he’s been locked in a lab with Tony for three days, he needed new company.”

“That would drive anyone crazy,” Natasha nodded, laughing as Peter mock-gasped. “still no clue what they’re doing in there?”

“No idea,” Peter sighed, tapping his fingers against the bottle. “I’m just going to not think about it, that usually..doesn’t work.” He laughed softly, looking to his left and spotting Tony approaching, looking..more than nice. 

“So if you’ll excuse me,” Peter looked over to the redhead with a smile. “I need to distract myself.”

-

“Has this been in the closet all this time?” Peter asked, taking in the black three-piece suit Tony was wearing. The two of them had managed to find a relatively quiet corner, and Peter was relieved to have a break from mingling. 

“Yeah, it’s been there for a while,” Tony nodded, looking down at the suit before taking a drink, looking over to Peter with a devious glint in his eyes. “why? Is it not _nice?_ ” 

“It’s not, actually,” Peter grinned, stepping closer to his boyfriend and running his fingers along the older man’s chest. “so I’ll just have to take it off you..”

“You might just have to,” Tony smirked, gently stroking the back of Peter’s neck. “so why don’t we take a little break and head up-”

“But first,” Peter stepped back, taking a sip of his drink and holding Tony’s hand to lead him away. “you just _have_ to hear this story of Rhodey’s.”

-

Later that night, when the majority of the guests had left, it was only the Avengers, Peter, Rhodey, Maria and Helen Cho left, gathered on the sofas. Peter instantly felt more relaxed, for one thing he actually knew and liked everyone here. They’d ordered in chinese takeout and Peter ended up sneaking bites of Tony as he curled up on his lap on an armchair in the corner, the older man gently stroking his back as Peter rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, letting out a yawn. He’d taken off his blazer a while ago, draping it over himself as he watched the others.

The conversation had moved to Thor’s hammer, though Peter couldn’t be too sure as he was focused on sneaking one of Tony’s spring rolls. 

“I don’t care what you say, it’s clearly a trick.” Clint’s voice drew Peter’s attention, his quest for the spring roll put on hold. He glanced over, his eyes falling on Bruce and Natasha whispering in the corner, smiling to himself. 

“Nothing so common,” Thor shrugged, taking a drink of beer. “feel free to see for yourself.”

“Seriously?” Clint raised an eyebrow, looking over to the artifact on the coffee table. 

Tony’s voice tickled Peter’s ear as he leaned in, the younger man smiling to himself. “This should be interesting.” 

“Seriously.” Thor nodded, the others cheering as Clint shrugged, standing up and walking around to the end of the coffee table.

“You’ve had a tough week, Clint,” Tony gently moved his hand to Peter’s arm, his fingers trailing over the bare skin as Peter used the opportunity to sneak the spring roll he’d been craving. “none of us will judge you if you can’t get it up.”

Peter snorted slightly, taking a bite of the spring roll and relaxing against Tony as he watched Clint try (and fail) to lift the hammer. 

“I..” Clint laughed, holding up his hands and looking over to Thor as he went to sit down. “I still think it’s some kind of trick.” 

“Can you feel that?” Tony looked over to Clint, raising an eyebrow. “the silent judgement.”

“Oh by all means Stark,” Clint gestured to the hammer. “be my guest.”

“What do you think?” Tony looked over to Peter, who chewed thoughtfully on the last of the spring roll as he looked over to the hammer. He didn’t think it was possible but..Tony was full of surprises.

“Go for it, honey,” Peter grinned at his boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss. “make me proud.”

“Get ready.” Tony announced as Peter stood up from the man’s lap, settling back on the armchair and laughing as Tony winked at him, popping his suit jacket open and heading over to the hammer.

“Blow our minds, Tony.” Natasha grinned, winking over at Peter as the younger man smiled.

“This is gonna be beautiful.” Rhodey nodded, sitting back and taking a sip of his drink.

“You know me,” Tony stood before the hammer, looking around at the others. “never one to shy away from an honest challenge.” 

“You can do it baby,” Peter grinned, sitting back in the armchair and tucking his legs up under himself. “go for it.”

“Let’s see what you got.” Steve sat up slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

“This is simply a matter of physics.” Tony shrugged, tilting his neck slightly and rolling back his shoulders. 

“Physics!” Bruce cheered, Peter’s eyes wandering to Natasha, who looked over at the doctor affectionately. 

“One last thing,” Tony turned to Thor as he grasped the handle of the hammer. “I lift this, then I rule Asgard, right?”

“Naturally.” The blonde God nodded, lifting his beer up. 

“Get your coronation outfit ready, sweetheart.” Tony grinned over at Peter before attempting to lift the hammer, frowning at his failure as Peter bit his lip to suppress a laugh. After two more failed attempts, Tony stood back, letting out a huff. “I'll be right back.”

“God loves a trier.” Steve shrugged, taking a drink.

After a moment, Tony returned, armour adorning his arm as he triumphantly stood before the hammer, only to fail once more. His attempts weren’t buoyed much when Rhodey disappeared and came back with his own armoured arm, the two of them trying desperately to lift the hammer. wearing their armored hands. Peter had focused his energy on the food, finding it much more rewarding. 

A couple more failed attempts from Tony and Rhodey, as well as Bruce and Steve, along with Natasha’s decline to accept the challenge had Thor looking quite proud. 

“I still say it’s rigged.” Tony grumbled, Peter gently patting his boyfriend’s cheek and giving him a soft kiss.

“You bet your ass it is.” Clint nodded.

“Steve, he said a bad language word.” Maria grinned, the others laughing as Steve frowned turning to Tony. 

“Okay, the text messages were _one_ thing,” Steve looked over to Peter with a raised brow as the younger man feigned innocence. “but did you have to tell _everyone_ ?” (When Tony had informed Peter about Steve’s reprimand for _‘language’_ , Peter took it upon himself to text Steve every time Tony or himself swore). 

“Yes, yes I did,” Tony nodded before turning to Thor. “there’s an imprint on the handle right? Some kind of..‘He who carries Thor’s fingerprints’ code or something. But that’s the very literal translation of course.”

“An interesting theory,” Thor nodded, standing up and walking over to the hammer himself. “though the simpler and more correct one,” The others watch as the God flipped the hammer in the air with ease. “is that you're all not worthy.” 

Peter laughed softly as the others all instantly objected, nestling against Tony and closing his eyes for a moment before a loud screeching noise sounded, drawing everyone’s attention as they stood, their hands covering their ears. After a moment it began to fade, all of them looking over to the source of the noise. It almost looked like one of the Iron Legion bots but more..ramshackle. It’s body was twisted, dragging along the floor with looping strings of wires hanging from it. 

“Worthy.. no..” The Iron Legion bot voice emerged from the..whatever it was, slowly turning to look at them. “how could you be worthy? You're all killers.”

“Stark.” Steve looked over to Tony, who took a small device from his pocket. 

“JARVIS.”

“Tony?” Peter frowned, holding his boyfriend’s arm tightly. “what is that thing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, Age of Ultron is a struggle! 🙈
> 
> It's not my favourite film, and I am definitely going to just be adding in my own take because it needs a little..jhuzzing (sp?) 🙌
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know as it is a true joy to hear from you 🥰🥰🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos/comments/bookmarked, you keep me going and keep the story rolling on 💛💛💛


	36. 3 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is well and truly crashed..

“I'm sorry,” The mangled bot continued, drawing Peter’s attention. “I was asleep. Or..I was a..dream?”

Beside him, Tony’s arm wrapped around Peter’s waist after he tapped the device in his hand. “Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit.”

Peter kept his focus on the bot, placing his hand over Tony’s and trying to keep calm. If he was destined to end up in this situation he was certainly surrounded by people who were more than equipped to handle it. 

“There was a terrible noise..” The bot continued, moving its tangled arms slowly. “I was tangled in.. in..strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy.”

“You killed someone?” Steve frowned. Peter wracked his mind to think if there was anyone else in the building but as far as he could think there wasn’t..what was the bot talking about? He gripped Tony’s hand tighter, taking a deep breath.

“Wouldn't have been my first call,” The bot continued. “but, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices.”

Thor stepped forward gripping the hammer in his hand. “Who sent you?”

Peter’s blood ran cold as the bot turned to them, Tony’s voice emerging into the room. "I see a suit of armor around the world". He looked over to his boyfriend, the older man’s jaw clenching slightly. 

“Ultron!” Bruce’s voice drew Peter’s attention trying to figure out what was going on as an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. 

“Ultron?” Peter whispered, looking back over to Tony in confusion, the older man keeping his eyes on the bot, this..Ultron. Was this what they'd been doing in the lab all that time? 

“In the flesh,” Ultron held up his arms, cocking his head to the side. “well, no, not yet. Not this..chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission.”

“What mission?” Natasha frowned, stepping forward as the others focused their attention on Ultron.

“Peace in our time.”

Before Peter could process it, the wall behind Ultron was broken through, the Iron Legion bots flying towards them, debris flying forward. He felt Tony push him back, standing in front of him. “Get back,” The older man turned around, gripping Peter’s shoulders and looking into his eyes. “stay down.”

“Got it,” Peter nodded, watching Tony run forward before he spotted Helen standing over to his left, running over to her. “Helen! Come with me,” Peter grabbed the doctor’s hand, giving one last glance to Tony before running back towards the window. “come on.”

He tried to ignore the noise and chaos around them glass smashing, the others shouting, focusing on getting as far back as possible. As they reached the piano by the window, Peter turned to Helen, trying to stay calm. “Get behind there,” He gestured to the back of the piano, stepping aside. “we’ll be okay.” 

“I certainly hope so.” Helen glanced back behind her before heading back behind the piano and crouching down, Peter moving in front of her and crouching down himself. He trusted that the others could handle the situation, though his heart was beating like crazy. There was shattered glass under their feet, uncomfortable to stand on but he couldn’t exactly run and grab a broom.

He was beginning to think maybe it was safe to check what was happening when one of the bots, well, the top half of one of the bots flew towards them, Peter taking a breath and quickly glancing around him. His eyes landed on an empty beer bottle laying on the ground nearby, reaching forward and grabbing it.

“Oh no you don’t you little..” He threw the bottle as hard as he could, watching it smash against the bot and send it crashing to the ground. He felt his heart threaten to burst out of his chest as adrenaline, fear and the lingering alcohol pump through him. He took a step back as the bot slowly rose up, it’s eyes glowing blue. 

“What are you? The terminator?” Peter frowned, stepping back and covering Helen as the bot lifted it’s hand, the repulsor beeping. His breath hitched in his throat, letting out a gasp as the bot was suddenly tackled to the ground by Steve.

“You two okay?” The blonde turned to Peter and Helen, the younger man looking back to the doctor, who nodded at him before Peter turned back to Steve.

“Fine,” The brunette nodded, trying to catch his breath. “thanks.” 

“Cap!” Steve turned around at the call, lifting up his arm and grabbing his shield before turning back to Peter and Helen. 

“Stay here.”

Peter took a breath, crouching down and giving the blonde a nod. He waited until he was sure it was safer for them to come out, standing up and reaching for Helen’s hand, helping her stand and leading her away from the glass. He didn’t care about the damage to the building, his eyes searching for the others and feeling relieved when he saw them all converging. He and Helen made their way back over to them, Peter rushing over to where Tony was sitting on the bottom of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” He gently touched the older man’s face, looking into his eyes. 

“I’m fine,” Tony nodded, placing his hand over Peter’s and slowly standing up. “are you? You stayed back, right? I don’t need you getting hurt and-”

“That was dramatic..” Ultron’s voice drew their attention, the others also looking over to where the bot was standing, surrounded by debris and wreckage. “I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?” He picked up a wrecked Iron Legion bot, examining it before holding it up. “With these? These puppets?” He tossed it aside, Peter moving his hands to grip Tony’s. “There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction.”

Thor stepped forward, letting out a growl as he threw his hammer at Ultron, smashing the bot into pieces laying discarded on the floor. 

-

After the chaos, Peter and some of the others went to get changed, the brunette opting to throw on some grey sweatpants and a red hoodie, heading back downstairs and finding the others in the lab. He ignored the mess, not thinking about it in favour of trying to figure out why exactly a murderous robot had attacked them. 

As he entered the lab the others gave him a quick glance as he took in the mess, it looked like a hurricane had swept through it. He met Natasha’s eyes for a moment, giving her a nod before moving to stand beside Tony, the older man wrapping his arm around Peter’s waist. 

“All our work is gone,” Bruce sighed beside them, running his hand over his face. “Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch.”

“He's already been inside everything,” Natasha folded her arms leaning against a bench. “files, surveillance, you name it. He probably knows more about us than we know about each other.”

“So if he's already had a look through your files, he's probably been in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more..exciting?” Rhodey questioned, Maria looking over to him with a nod.

“Nuclear codes.”

“Nuclear codes.” Rhodey repeated firmly, looking over at Tony. “We need to make some calls, assuming of course that’s still possible.”

Peter ran a hand through his hair, trying to process everything as Tony gently turned to face him. 

“You okay, sweetheart?” 

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, glancing over to the others as they continued discussing the situation. “it’s just a lot to take in.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony murmured softly, lifting his hands to touch Peter’s face and draw back the brunette’s attention. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I promise. But I’m going to fix it.”

“I know.” Peter let out a breath, looking into Tony’s eyes and feeling a deep pang in his chest about the possibilities that lay ahead. 

Tony smiled softly, glancing around before looking back at Peter. “Why don’t you head upstairs and try and get some sleep? I’ll be up in a minute.” 

Peter wanted to argue, insist he needed to do something, anything, but..tonight had already proved his limitations. He gave a reluctant nod, saying goodnight to Tony and the others before heading upstairs, closing the bedroom behind him and leaning against it for a moment. 

He’d thought them getting the sceptre would be the end of all the chaos, for a while at least. But there was nothing he could do now except to just take a step back and hope that the Avengers did what they did best. He ran a hand over his face before heading into the bathroom, running a bath. 

As Peter lay in the water he contemplated the evening, his mind hazily swimming over everything that had happened. Once the water began to cool he snapped out of his thoughts, getting out of the bath and wrapping a towel around his waist. He took his time getting dressed into a simple blue t-shirt and a pair of grey pyjama pants, quickly rubbing a towel over his hair and getting into bed. He threw on the TV, the news coming on and providing some background noise as Peter sat back against the headboard, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms on them. 

After..Peter wasn’t actually sure how much time passed before the bedroom door opened and Tony walked in, closing it behind him. 

“I didn’t think you’d still be awake.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Peter smiled softly, watching as Tony crossed the room to come sit down beside him on the edge of the bed, gently lifting his hand to touch the younger man’s face.

“When?” Peter asked softly, leaning into the touch and focusing his eyes on Tony.

“Soon,” Tony murmured, gently stroking Peter’s cheek. “I’m sorry, but you know we don’t have a choi-”

“I understand,” Peter smiled, reaching his hand up to touch the hand on his face. “it’s okay. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Or at least..try not to.”

“I promise.” Tony smiled, leaning in and closing the gap between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ultron is truly a sassy bitch, things can only go..well, up..👀
> 
> Peter Parker x Old movie references is a ship, deal with it 😂
> 
> From here on the movie gets very..busy, and of course Tony is busy jet-setting it around the world so I'm gonna have to find a way to keep Peter busy..🤔😏
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 🥰🥰
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left comments/kudos/bookmarked, it means so much and I really appreicate your support for this story 💛💛💛


	37. 3 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's abscence weighs on Peter's mind..

After Tony and the other Avengers had once again left in pursuit of the sceptre, Peter focused his energy on making sure the tower was properly cleaned up and restored, not wanting to keep the destruction lingering any longer physically, though it remained in his mind. That..Ultron, was unlike anything Peter had ever seen. He knew Tony would never purposely create something like that, but it scared him nonetheless to think that Ultron was out there somewhere, capable of..Peter didn’t dwell on the terrible possibilities. 

Before, when Tony had gone in search of the sceptre, Peter had always worried about him, but this time felt even more dangerous. Ultron was in possession of it, and from what Peter had seen he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. 

During the clean up process, Peter picked up one of the discarded Iron Legion bots, examining it and remembering how useless he’d felt when it had cornered himself and Helen. He knew that he’d been safe, but even so. He hated feeling so..defenseless. He wandered through the lab, trying to get it back into some kind of order, finding it quite lonely without JARVIS there, another casualty of Ultron. The whole tower always felt empty when Tony was gone. 

Even when Peter was surrounded by people, busying himself with work and spending most nights working at his desk into the early hours he still couldn’t rid himself of the lingering fears that something would go wrong. When Tony was on a mission he didn’t contact Peter much, which the younger man understood, but it still made him worry. 

One evening, a couple of days after Tony had left, Peter was sitting at his desk trying to concentrate on the figures on the screen before him when his phone buzzed on the desk. His heart skipped a beat for a moment, grabbing the device and letting out a sigh as he realised it wasn’t Tony, smiling as he saw that it was a text from MJ, sending him a couple of shots from her latest photoshoot in Vietnam. He sent back a quick reply, duly noting his jealousy before setting his phone down on the desk, taking a breath.

He looked back at the computer screen, his fingers tapping against the desk for a moment before deciding to call it a night, looking over to his phone and reaching for it as he stood from his chair. 

-

Heading up the familiar stairway, Peter smiled to himself as he clutched the takeout bag in his hand. He reached the right floor and walked down the hall, running a hand through his hair. Once he was outside the door he only knocked on it once before it opened, revealing his companion for the evening.

“There you are! Come in, come in.”

“Dinner’s taken care of,” Peter grinned, heading into the apartment and holding up the takeout bag. “so the smoke alarm gets a night off.”

May laughed, gently swatting Peter’s arm and closing the door behind them. “Very funny. What did you get, or do I need to ask?”

Peter raised an eyebrow, titling his head slightly as he looked over to his Aunt. “As if I’d deviate now, come on.” He headed into the kitchen, setting the bag down on the counter before getting the plates.

“So,” May headed to the fridge, taking out a bottle of wine and setting it down on the counter. “have you heard anything from Tony?”

Peter kept his attention on plating up the food, his heart clenching slightly at the mention of his boyfriend’s name. “Not much, but..that’s to be expected.” 

May didn’t say anymore on the subject, but Peter could feel her eyes on him as she got the drinks ready. “I’m starving,” He smiled softly, picking up the plates and handing one to his Aunt. “shall we?”

-

To Peter’s relief, he actually managed to have a somewhat relaxing, enjoyable evening. May was always a comforting presence and to be back in his old home was something Peter always found soothing. It reminded him of simpler times, when his biggest worries had been homework and plucking up the courage to ask his crush out on a date, all seeming so innocent now. 

They watched a terrible rom-com of the ‘so bad it’s good’ variety, finished off the bottle of wine and Peter felt his evening take a true turn for the better. He left with a smile on his face, giving May a tight hug before he left, grateful as ever for her.

By the time the cab (CEO or not, Peter wasn’t troubling his driver late at night dropped him off at the tower, Peter was more than ready to just fall into bed. He had a quick shower and brushed his teeth before flicking on the TV in the bedroom, keeping it as background noise as he looked through the closet and picked out a pair of boxers and one of Tony’s old MIT t-shirts. As he was getting into bed he glanced over to the TV, frowning slightly when he saw what he could’ve sworn was the Hulk..

He quickly grabbed the remote, turning up the volume and watching footage of what was most definitely the Hulk causing chaos in Johannesburg. While his eyes were glued to the screen he heard his phone buzzing somewhere in the bed, managing to tear his gaze away for a moment and looking for the device, pressing it to his ear without checking who it was, his eyes going back to the TV.

“Hello?”

Tony’s voice flooded his ear, drawing Peter’s attention. “Hey, just checking in.”

“Hi,” Peter smiled, his voice soft as he looked back to the TV and leaned against the headboard. “so am I.”

“You saw, huh?” 

“I’m seeing it now,” Peter nodded, the news now showing the anchor talking to some expert or other. He reached for the remote, turning the volume down. “what exactly happened over there?”

Tony sighed slightly, and Peter felt an uncomfortable tightness in his stomach. “It’s a long story.”

“You can tell me later,” Peter shifted slightly, pulling the blanket up slightly over himself. “are you guys on the way home?”

“We’re uh..” Tony’s voice didn’t ease Peter’s discomfort. “we’re not coming home just yet. Apparently it’s best if we lay low for a while.”

Peter clenched his jaw slightly, shifting in the bed.

“Pete? You there?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, letting out a sigh. “I’m here. It’s you who isn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony answered after a moment. “I hate that it has to..”There was a shouting noise in the background and Peter frowned slightly as Tony sighed. “I gotta go, I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”

“You too.” Peter took a breath before staying his goodbyes and hanging up, tossing the phone down to the end of the bed and burying his face in his hands. It was incredibly frustrating, all he wanted was just..constantly out of his reach. He was fit to go and find Ultorn himself, end this whole business.

When his phone began buzzing again, he ignored it, grabbing the remote and changing the channel until he found something easier on his current state, turning up the volume and sinking down into the bed.

After a while he reached for his phone, raising a brow as he saw several missed calls from Natasha along with a couple of texts.

_ ‘I highly suggest you stop ignoring me - we need to talk x’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for delaying this chapter, it is a serious struggle to get motivated to write for AOU, if I'm honest 🤦
> 
> I do have a couple of plans for what I want to do with the story but I'm still trying to keep it mostly in canon and that's..really hard 😂🙈
> 
> I hope you are willing to stick with me on this journey, I am trying my best to make this story as good as possible, and I hope that it's enjoyable to read 😅😅
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left kudos/comments/bookmarked it means so much to me 🥰🥰🥰


	38. 3 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peter has a surprise meeting and Tony's absence is still felt..

Peter tapped his phone against his palm for a moment, looking over to the TV and contemplating whether or not to call Natasha back. It could be nothing, but..she wouldn’t say ‘we need to talk’ unless she thought it important. At least Tony was safe, it couldn’t be that..he took a breath, bringing up her number and pressing the phone to his ear.

“It’s about time.”

“Sorry,” Peter sighed, drawing his knees up to his chest and tilting his head back slightly. “I’m still reeling a bit from Tony telling me you guys aren’t coming back yet.”

“That's why I wanted to call you,” Natahsa explained. “I’m gonna presume he just said we’re not coming back and left you trying to figure out why?”

Peter looked up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back to the TV. “Pretty much. But I shouldn’t be surprised, really, I mean I shouldn't even really know that you guys are _anywhere,_ so..”

“So Tony is just being a drama queen,” Natasha scoffed slightly. “nothing new there. You’re part of the family Pete, and you’re entitled to know what’s actually happening. Which, at the moment, isn’t much, but _I_ just wanted you to know that we’re safe, we’re in a secure place, and we’ll be back before you know it.”

Peter felt slightly more relieved than he had after his phone call with Tony. It still annoyed him that they had to stay hidden away but..such was the nature of the job. “Thank you for letting me know,” He smiled softly, gently picking at an invisible thread on his t-shirt. “I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As he looked over to the TV, the looping footage of the Johannesburg destruction playing, Peter sat up slightly in the bed, tapping his fingers against his knee. “Let me know when you get back, there’s something else I need to talk to you about, but it can wait a minute..”

-

“Peter?”

Looking up from the desk, Peter found Zoe walking into the office, tablet in hand. He’d been lost in thought for..he wasn’t actually sure how long, trying to remember if there was something he’d missed somehow, wracking his mind. “Yes?” 

The blonde swiped through something on the screen in front of her before looking up, adjusting her glasses. “We’ve been contacted about a possible new venture with Oscorp, evidently Mr. Osborn is very keen to meet with you.” 

Peter raised an eyebrow as he took in the information, sitting up slightly in his chair. He’d met Norman Osborn a handful of times at various charity events and such, barely making the smallest of small talk before Tony was practically dragging him away, throwing some flippant remark in Norman’s direction. Peter couldn’t really imagine why Oscorp would suddenly be interested, and he knew that Tony would hate the idea of Peter actually accepting the meeting but Tony wasn’t there, and Peter was the one actually running the company. 

“Did they say when they want to meet?” Peter asked, shifting slightly in his seat and resting his hands on the desk. 

Zoe looked back down at the tablet, tapping the screen before looking back at Peter. “As soon as possible. You’re free at three, though that might be a little soon?”

“Three sounds perfect,” Peter smiled. He was curious to see what this meeting would be about, and there was no guarantee he’d actually agree to anything..yet. “could you set that up please?”

“Of course.” Zoe nodded, giving her boss a nod before heading out of the office once again. 

-

The morning passed without much incident, Peter tried to concentrate on work and not check his phone every two minutes. It didn’t matter anyway, he knew there was nothing from Tony. As long as the man was safe Peter felt like nothing else should matter but he didn’t think it would hurt Tony too much to just..call once in a while. Deep down, past his own stubbornness, Peter knew Tony was most likely just burying himself in guilt about what happened, about not being able to come back, and he wanted nothing more than to just reassure his boyfriend that it wasn’t his fault. 

But it still hurt to hear nothing from Tony, who was ultimately the one hiding himself away. Peter tried not to think about the situation too much, once Tony was back they’d talk about it but right now..it wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on.

Once it got to one o’clock Peter decided to take a break, grabbing his things and heading down to the lobby. As he was walking across the marble floor he heard his voice being called, stopping in his tracks and turning to find Happy walking over to him. 

“What’s this about Norman Osborn meeting you?”

Peter smiled politely, clasping his hands in front of himself as he took a breath. “Hello to you too, Hap.”

The man wasn’t deterred, stopping in front of Peter and folding his arms. There was a lot Peter truly admired about Happy, his immense devotion to Tony included. Most of the time, anyway. “Does Tony know about this?”

“Does it matter?” Peter raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. “seeing as _I’ve_ been the CEO for the past five years..which was _Tony’s_ decision.” 

Happy sighed, letting his hands fall to his side as Peter checked his watch. “You know what I mean. Don’t you find it a little odd that out of the blue Osborn just wants to meet?”

Peter kept the smile on his face, appreciating that Happy was just doing his job and he meant well, but Peter couldn’t help but feel at times that Tony would always be seen as the ‘true’ face of the company while Peter was the one doing all the work while Tony zipped around the world looking for a damn sti-

“I was a little surprised,” Peter nodded, looking over to Happy. “I admit. But ultimately he’s a businessman, with a very successful and prolific company to his name. I like to think the same could be said for me, so is it so unusual we should have a meeting?” 

“Well, _no_ ,” Happy sighed, Peter taking a step back and holding up his hand before he let the man continue.

“Exactly, so I’m just gonna go and get something to eat,” Peter smiled, pressing his hands together and gesturing to Happy. “don’t let me keep you from your fine work.” 

-

After lunch, Peter returned to the office (While he often just brought something back he just wanted an hour to himself tucked away in a quiet cafe, blocking out the world) and did some research on Oscorp’s current status, trying to forget what Happy had said. It really wasn’t any of Tony’s business who Peter met with, certainly not in a professional capacity. He’d specifically asked Peter to be the CEO and even after five years the younger man still felt like he needed to prove himself.

He looked up from the screen as his phone buzzed, smiling as he saw a text from Ned asking if he was free to meet up in the evening, sending a very enthusiastic _YES!!_ back in response. As he was looking over some of his notes for the meeting, he heard a knock on the door, looking up to find Zoe walking in, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

“Mr. Osborn is here now,” She smiled, a slight glint of something in her eyes Peter couldn’t quite make out. “he’s just signing in, I’ll send him in in a minute.”

“That’s great , thank you.” Peter smiled, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, setting them aside and tidying up the desk. He was placing some of the papers into the drawer along the side of the desk when he heard the door opening.

“Ah, Nor..” He looked up, raising an eyebrow when he realised it wasn’t quite Norman Osborn standing in front of him. “or not.”

“Not quite,” The man across the room smiled, closing the door behind him. “I hope I’m not too much of a disappointment?”

Peter closed the drawer, standing up and smiling as he crossed the room, offering his hand. “Absolutely not. It’s great to see you again, Harry.”

“Likewise,” Harry smiled, taking Peter’s hand and shaking it politely. “it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Just a bit.” Peter grinned, gesturing over to the desk. “sit down, make yourself comfortable.”

Harry nodded, letting go of Peter’s hand and following Peter over to the desk and taking a seat across from him, smoothing out his immaculate black suit and running a hand though his perfectly styled brown hair. “We’re a long way from decathlon now,” Harry laughed softly, crossing his legs and resting his hands in his lap as Peter sat down. “seems like a whole other lifetime now.”

Peter smiled softly as he thought back to the days when he and Harry had last really known each other, back at Midtown High. Harry had been a year ahead, but they’d both been on the academic decathlon team together and were always pretty friendly to each other. Harry was easily the most popular kid at the school, he was incredibly attractive wealthy, smart, huge group of friends, Peter had always felt slightly embarrassed whenever Harry talked to him, feeling like he was a total nobody compared to the older boy (and maybe, maybe, Peter had the _tiniest_ crush on him, which was immediately squashed when he found out Harry was dating Liz Toomes, the most popular girl in school and one of Peter’s friends) but Harry was never anything but completely friendly and charming, never making Peter feel like he was in any way inferior. 

“It certainly does,” Peter nodded, pulling his chair in closer to the desk. “you’ve certainly been busy, from what I’ve seen. Yale, travelling the world, and now..stepping into Norman’s shoes?”

Harry smiled as he nodded softly, glancing over to the side before looking back at Peter, his brown eyes shining brightly. “You make it seem like more than it is, honestly. I was planning to do more travelling but last year I decided to settle down a bit and dad certainly didn’t object to that, let me tell you..so I started working at our British office in London, but the call of home was getting pretty strong,” He grinned, raising an eyebrow. “and while I’m here today, that’s solely because dad got caught up in a board meeting and I was duly sent in his stead, which once again I hope isn’t too much of a disappointment.” 

Peter shook his head, smiling as he ran a hand through his hair. “Not at all, in fact I hope _I’m_ not a disappointment, a lot of people still think they’ll see Tony sitting here.”

“You’re far from a disappointment,” Harry insisted, holding a hand up with a smile. “I actually meant to get in touch with you when I heard you were the new CEO of SI, I always knew you’d go far..and of course, there’s the whole ‘Avengers’ thing, which is..wow, I couldn’t believe it when I saw that press conference Tony did back then. You must be so proud.”

It took a moment for Peter to respond, his mind distracted by the thought of Tony, how much had happened since that press conference, how much their lives had changed, for better or for worse. “I am proud, yes,” He smiled, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him. “it certainly took some getting used to, but Tony was never one to do things by halves.”

Harry nodded, taking a look around the office before looking back at Peter. “You’ve really done well for yourself, Peter. But again I always suspected you would.”

“Yeah, right,” Peter laughed softly, shaking his head. “I was just a dorky kid from Queens who blushed too much whenever anyone looked at me.” 

Harry grinned lightly running his fingers along his jaw as he nodded. “Well..that’s true,” He laughed slightly as Peter let out a mock sigh, rolling his eyes with a smile. “but we all knew you had some serious brains in that head of yours, and here you are running a huge global company, with a bonafide superhero on your arm. That’s not bad for a nerdy kid from queens.”

“Actually,” Peter raised an eyebrow, looking over to Harry with a smile. “I said dorky. There’s an important difference.”

“There is?” Harry raised an eyebrow, biting his lip slightly and looking like he was trying to keep a serious face as Peter grinned, sitting back in his chair.

“Absolutely,” Peter tried to put on a serious face, clearing his throat and reaching for his glasses, putting them on and looking at the computer, trying to fight the urge to laugh. “so just keep that in mind.”

“Will do.” Harry nodded, sitting up and clearing his throat. Peter felt like he was back in school again, but this time he was somehow in with the popular crowd, smiling softly as he looked back over to Harry. 

“So, now that the important stuff is out of the way, what did you want to meet with us about?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to two of my absolute favourite people for inspiring this chapter and a new plot point which will be unveiled further as the story continues! I was seriously struggling with AOU and they have just reinvigorated me so much 💛💛💛
> 
> Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable, it was actually very enjoyable to write which was a nice change of pace 😅😁
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback on this story, you are so kind and I appreciate it so very much ❤️❤️❤️


	39. 3 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is never far from Peter's mind..

“Well I’m certainly interested,” Peter nodded, taking off his glasses and setting them aside. “but I think I’ll need to have a proper look at the facility itself, get a feel for it.” 

“Naturally,” Harry nodded. “I’ll talk to dad about it and then we’ll be in touch. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure I won’t,” Peter smiled, standing up and offering his hand. “thank you again for coming to see me, it was a..pleasant surprise to see you, not that I wouldn’t have been any less enthused to have Norman here, of course.”

Harry laughed as he stood up, taking Peter’s hand. “I might as well get used to surprising people, I just hope they all react the way you did. You don’t suppose all our decathlon team are now running major companies?” 

“Please, we’re all basically running the  _ world _ ,” Peter grinned, letting go of Harry’s hand and smooth out his suit jacket. “not bad for a bunch of nerds.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly as he folded his arms. “Dorks. There’s an important difference you know.”

“Of course,” Peter bit his lip softly, smiling to himself. “how quickly we forget.” He cleared his throat as he heard a knock on the door, feeling somewhat snapped back to reality, smiling as Zoe walked in, an apologetic smile on her face.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have another meeting to attend Peter. The car will be ready in ten minutes.”

“Thanks Zoe, I’ll be ready.” Peter nodded, looking back to Harry once she’d left. “the fun never ends around here.”

“So I noticed,” Harry smiled, fixing up the button on his suit. “I’ll leave you to it, it was great seeing you, it’s been too long.”

“It has,” Peter smiled softly, lightly tapping his fingers against the desk. “I look forward to our next meeting being much sooner, no more..well, lengthy gaps.”

“Absolutely,” Harry grinned, stepping back from the chair and letting out a soft sigh. “we’ll be in touch, see you again soon.”

Peter was barely back in his chair, the office door closed, before it was opened again, Happy walking into the office with a frown etched onto his face. Peter took a breath as he tidied up the desk, looking for what he needed for the next meeting.

“So?” Happy folded his arms, standing across from Peter.

“So what?” Peter asked, gathering up files and looking over to the computer screen.

“What did he want?”

“Well it might surprise you to learn this but..he wanted to know if I’d consider selling the company to Oscorp and then take a job as Norman’s personal chauffeur.”

Happy rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Very funny..”

“Mm,” Peter stood up gathering what he needed and pushing his chair into the desk. “I thought so. If there’s nothing else you wanted to talk to me about then you’ll have to excuse me because I need to go.” He gave a polite smile, forcing himself not to snap or get annoyed as he went to walk towards the door.

“I just think Tony has a right to know..”

Peter stopped short of the door, taking a deep breath and turning around. “If Tony was so worried about how I’m running the company he put me in charge of then he’d be here. But he’s not, is he? And even if he was, it’s not really any of his concern. Which makes us even because I sure as fuck don’t ever really get to know what he’s doing. So,” Peter forced himself to smile, regain a little composure. He really didn’t want to think about Tony right now, just wanting a clear mind. “if you’ll excuse me, I have a company to run.” 

-

By the time the evening rolled around and Peter was walking into a relaxed, dimly lit, botanical themed bar (that was a former church no less), with jazz music playing softly in the background and one of his best friends waving over to him, he was more than ready to just block everything else out for the evening.

He’d barely made it through the rest of the afternoon without thinking of Tony, what he was doing, could they even contact each other? Tony was certainly keen on keeping up the radio silence. Peter had sent a text but hadn’t heard anything back. He’d tried to leave all that at the door, sitting down with Ned and ordering a very large drink along with as many nachos as they could get through.

“You’ll never believe who I had a meeting with today,” Peter raised an eyebrow, scooping some guacamole onto a nacho and taking a bite.

“Hm..Elon Musk?” Ned asked, picking up his beer and taking a drink.

“He wishes,” Peter laughed, reaching for another chip. He didn’t realise he was so hungry. Maybe he’d get a burger on the way home. Or a pizza. That sounded good. He could get mushrooms on it without Tony kicking up a fuss..he shook his head, smiling quickly and biting into the chip in his hand. “Harry Osborn.” 

“Harry Osborn?” Ned raised an eyebrow, taking a nacho and dipping it in the guacamole. “as in..Norman Osborn’s son? Who was at school with us? Who you were like in love wi-”

“Yes,” Peter rolled his eyes slightly, smiling as he reached for his drink. “him. And it was a fleeting crush, thank you very much.” 

“If you say so..” Ned grinned, laughing as Peter rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know he was back in town, is he taking over his dad’s company or something?”   


“I do say so,” Peter pointed his glass at Ned, raising an eyebrow. “I got over my thing for straight guys pretty soon after that..embarrassment. Anyway,” He took a sip of his drink, setting it down and tapping his fingers against the glass in time to the song playing. “he’s just working for his dad, he was in their London offices last year but he’s back in town for the foreseeable. Norman was supposed to be the one I was meeting but he was otherwise engaged.”

“I see,” Ned held his hand up to the waitress, gesturing to their drinks with a smile before turning back to Peter. “what was the meeting about?”

“They’re looking into opening a new research facility and expanding their biomedical engineering operation, they wanted to know if we’d be interested in a joint venture,” Peter explained, taking another nacho. “what about you? How’s the big secret project coming along?” 

“Better,” Ned nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “we’re going out to California next week to check out some possible new investors ourselves so we should be moving out of the development stages and into a more retail-focused agenda.”

“I see..” Peter nodded, biting his lip and smiling as the waitress dropped their drinks over to the table, taking away their old ones. 

As soon as she’d left, both Peter and Ned looked over at each other and laughed, shaking their heads. 

“Have you seen MJ’s latest photos?” Ned asked, reaching for his phone.

“Yeah,” Peter grinned, taking a sip of his drink. “it looks so amazing there, she’s really living the dream. She wouldn’t be caught dead sitting here with us talking about our boring jobs.”

“Of course not,” Ned laughed, picking up his own drink. “but hey, here’s to being nerds.”

Peter smiled as he lifted his glass to clink against Ned’s. “cheers to that.”

-

Sitting on the couch,  _ slightly _ tipsy, in some very comfortable sweatpants and one of his old college hoodies, Peter was happily indulging in some very mushroom-heavy pizza and watching a late night show when his phone buzzed with a couple of texts. The first made him smile, grinning around a slice of pizza and tapping out a quick reply. The second made his heart skip a beat, sinking back into the couch and taking a deep breath, the pizza sitting heavy in his stomach.

_Hey Pete, great seeing you again today. Looking forward to the next meeting, can't wait to really dork it up! - Harry._

_Can we talk? T x_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thik it's safe to say that Tony needs to sort out hs priorities because Peter is seriously missing him and getting a little frustrated..🤦🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know! 😁❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback, it means the world and I'm immensely grateful 💛💛💛


	40. 4 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has news, and Peter has no option but to deal with it..

Looking at the phone for a moment, the message from Tony staring back up at him, Peter felt torn about whether or not to call his boyfriend. After practically radio silence, why did Tony want to talk to him now? Had something bad happened? Did Happy tell him about the meeting Harry? Peter really wasn’t in the mood for an argument. On the other hand, maybe it was just..Tony wanted to talk to him and had stopped being a brooding idiot. 

Deciding to be cautiously optimistic, Peter hit the call button and pressed the phone to his ear, sinking back into the couch.

One ring. Two. Ten.

Peter was on the verge of just tossing the phone down to the other side of the couch when he finally heard Tony’s voice, his tone not filling Peter with confidence. 

“Hey Pete, thanks for calling so soon.”

“Hi,” Peter shifted slightly on the couch, tucking his legs up under himself. “I was just relieved to hear from you, to be honest. Is everything okay?”

“Uh..yeah,” Peter let out a quiet sigh as he waited for the inevitable. “everything’s..fine, fine..”

“Tony.”

“It’s seriously fine, I promise. Nobody’s hurt, we’re all fine. I just wanted to check in on you.”

Peter was a little hesitant to allow himself to be any bit optimistic but he trusted Tony. “So..it’s been a while since you got there and the news has moved on..is there any chance at all I can have you back soon?” His heart was in his throat as he asked, feeling like a nervous teenager.

The pause before Tony spoke again didn’t assuage his fear.

“I’ll be back real soon,” Tony’s voice was quieter, Peter closing his eyes and taking a breath. “Fury dropped by and we realised we need to put a serious plan in place to stop Ultron.” 

“Of course,” Peter nodded, opening his eyes and looking up at the ceiling, not liking where the conversation was going. “I understand that..so what exactly is that plan?”

A sigh.

“I need to go to Oslo.”

“Oslo..” Peter repeated, looking down and shaking his head slightly. “right. Do I get to see you at all before you go?” 

A pause.

“I see,” Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair. “well, I hope that the plan works out, I know you’re all trying your best.”

“Well we’re trying a little harder than _that_..” Tony muttered slightly, Peter clenching his jaw at the words. 

“Mm. My mistake..well I won’t keep you from your important work. Thanks for actually telling me where you were going this time, you saved Nat a phone call.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“Alright,” Peter closed his eyes tightly, letting out a breath. “I won’t. Bye, Tony.” 

Before the man could respond Peter had ended the call, tossing the phone down to the other end of the couch and burying his head in his hands. 

-

The next morning, after a restless night of sleep, Peter was up early, spending longer than he needed standing under the shower and trying to forget about the phone call with Tony. He hadn’t meant to react so..petulantly, and he knew that he was being selfish, there was a serious crisis happening with Ultron and that was more important than his feelings but..he was still entitled to be somewhat upset. 

He was grateful that it was Saturday, deciding to spend the morning more productively than sitting around pining for Tony. He dried off after his shower and decided to go for a run to release some of the pent-up energy, not caring if he’d need another shower, he just wanted to get out for a while. 

After getting dressed into some black running leggings and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, Peter layered a grey t-shirt on top and threw on some black sneakers before heading out to the elevator.

For his route, Peter decided to stick to the park, losing himself amongst the runners, walkers, dogs, everyone, just blocking out the world and concentrating on his own heartbeat and breathing. It was the first time in..too long that he’d felt like he could just forget about everything else. No work, no meetings, no Tony..

Which was fine, there was nothing he could do about that anyway. So he told himself, at least. Tony had bigger things to worry about, important things. It was just..selfish to want him back when there was something like Ultron out in the world.

Peter tried to push the thoughts from his mind and as he looped back around the park and made his way home, slowing as he reached the tower, pushing his hair from his forehead and heading inside. It had certainly improved his mood to just get out for a while, even with Tony continuously sticking in his mind. 

Once he was up in the penthouse he took his time showering and getting dressed before making some breakfast and taking it over to the couch, sitting down and turning on the TV. He made a point of not looking at his phone until he was finished eating, leaving his plate down on the coffee table and reaching for the device.

It didn’t really surprise him that there was nothing from Tony, but it still stung a little. He had a couple of messages from friends, a couple of work emails, deciding to ignore them all for a while and just sit back and block everything out for a while.

-

By the early afternoon Peter had finally read some of the messages on his phone, and agreed to meet up with Pepper that evening for dinner. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to get out and socialise for the evening, but before that he had something he needed to do.

Parking the car, Peter reached across to the passenger seat and picked up the bunch of lilies sitting on the leather before getting out and locking the door. He took a breath as he walked along the pavement, the air warm and the sun bright in the sky. The noise from the city grew a little quieter as he walked along the path leading into the graveyard, a man mowing the grass in the distance and some birds tweeting. He was one of only a handful of people there, finding himself alone once he reached the grave he was visiting.

“Hey Ben,” He smiled softly, placing the lillies down on the neat grass, beside a bouquet of roses he knew May had left a couple of days previous. “it’s been a while, I know. I’ve just been busy lately, there’s been..a whole lot going on.”

Peter took a seat on the simple wooden bench along the path, resting his hands in his lap. “Tony is still away looking for that damn stick, and now..there’s a whole lot of other chaos happening, but if anyone can handle it..” He took a breath, looking up for a minute and swallowing the lump in his throat. “anyway, on a more positive note, work has been going well. I had a meeting with Harry Osborn yesterday, who Ned insists I was in love with but that’s nonsense, right? I may have had a little crush but I quickly got over it. I still remember you telling me that the perfect guy was out there, all I had to do was wait..” 

He laughed softly as he shook his head, his eyes getting slightly glassy. “I did meet him, of course..then waited way too long to finally admit it. I know I always say this but..I really wish you could have met him. You’d like each other, I think. I know. I..” He quickly wiped away the tears that spilled down his cheek, leaning forward and pushing a hand through his hair, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I just miss him so much. He’s doing something incredibly important now, saving the world, Avenger business, and I don’t want to take him from that but I just..I feel like I’m losing him, you know?”

Sitting up slightly, Peter let out a sigh, the tears streaming. “You’d know what to say, how to deal with this. Deal with everything. That was always your department. I miss you too, don’t forget. I always do. God I need to stop being so emotional,” He laughed softly, wiping away the tears. “this is when you’d tell me to hold my head up high, don’t worry so much about the small things.” He took a breath, standing up and smiling softly. “so I promise I’ll try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I'm ramping up the tension between Tony and Peter but I promise it'll all be worth it in the end!
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 😁🥰
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left feeback on this story, it means so much and I'm eternally grateful 💛💛💛


	41. 4 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to..well..

After one of the longest weekends of Peter’s life, he was more than relieved to be back at work. He’d been tempted to spend Sunday in the office but he’d always told himself that weekends were sacred. Time he should be spending with Tony. 

Not that it mattered lately. 

That Tuesday afternoon, Peter was due to meet both Harry and Norman at the facility just outside the city. Throughout the morning he’d been ignoring Happy’s mutterings as long as he could, before turning to the man in the lobby as he was leaving and muttering a quick ‘If you’re so concerned why don’t you just go tell Tony on me?’ before trying his best not to storm out as he walked to the car. 

To the rest of the city it was a beautiful day, clouds lazily drifting through the sky and the sun casting a warm glow. Inside the car however, the air felt cold and Peter’s mood was thunderous. He hadn’t heard so much as a peep from Tony, and he couldn’t do anything but feel useless. He’d spent most of Saturday night trying to hold himself together at the restaurant with Pepper before going home and crying himself to sleep.

The upset had quickly turned to fear, worry, anger and hurt. 

Peter watched the world go by as the car began the short journey, resting his elbow on the window ledge and trying to ignore the way his leg couldn’t stop shaking. He was more than prepared for the meeting, and was actually looking forward to it, if only as a way to distract himself from Tony.

Before long, the facility appeared sprawled out before them on the horizon, nestled amongst elegantly trimmed hedges and tall black iron gates. It had a smooth, modern design, huge square windows and sharp structural edges. The huge car park was mostly empty, a sleek black Mercedes parked up by the front of the building suggesting the Osborns had already arrived, particularly going by the man standing beside it in a black suit, one hand in his pocket as he smoked a cigarette. 

“This is fine, thank you James.” Peter looked over to his driver, mustering a small smile as the car came to a stop outside the building entrance. He got out, watching for a moment as the car went to pull up by the Mercedes before buttoning his suit jacket and heading to the door, spotting Harry walking out.

“Hey, there you are,” Harry grinned, walking over to Peter and gently squeezing his arm. “it’s great to see you again. Come on inside, Dad’s just on a call.”

Peter instantly felt more relaxed as they walked into the large reception area, a round desk in the middle of the clean, airy room sitting unattended for the moment. Behind it was a seating area with elegant black couches, two sets of steel staircases leading off upstairs. 

“How was your weekend?” Harry asked as he led Peter over to the desk, leaning his hip against it. 

It was such a simple, polite, casual question and yet it made Peter so uneasy. He swallowed the lump in his throat, throwing on a smile. “Oh nothing too special, just taking it easy..how about you?”

Fortunately, Harry didn’t press any further, smiling as he leaned his elbow on the desk, carding his fingers through his hair. “It was pretty good, Charlotte started the moving process so there was a lot of..bickering, shall we say,” The brunette laughed, shaking his head fondly.

“Moving house is a big test for relationships,” Peter raised an eyebrow, leaning against the desk. “if you survive that you’ll survive anything.”

He hoped that extended to when one person in the relationship decides to skip around the world looking for a magic stick and a pissed off robot they inadvertently released into the world.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Harry smiled. “we never lived together in London officially, so there was no moving to be done. I never realised there was a wrong way to unpack shoes..”

“You mean there’s a right way?” Peter smiled softly as Harry laughed, trying to put himself more at ease.

“Apparently so,” Harry sighed slightly, the last of his laugh trailing off as a voice emerged from the stairs behind them. “well, there’s Dad anway. Come on, time for the tour. Spoiler alert, it’s pretty dull..” He winked, pushing off the desk as Peter laughed gently.

“Ah, Mr. Parker,” Norman smiled as Peter and Harry walked over to the stairs. “it’s a pleasure to have you out here, I apologise I couldn’t make it to the last meeting.”

“Mr. Osborn,” Peter smiled politely, taking Norman’s hand and shaking it, pushing Tony from his mind but also wondering what he’d think about this. He’d be annoyed, certainly.

Good.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Peter beamed, his smile a little tight as he straightened up, smoothing out his suit. “as soon as Harry told me about the opportunity I couldn’t wait to see this place so you don’t need to worry about giving me the hard sell..well, too much.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Norman smiled, clapping his hands together. “so why don’t I let this place speak for itself, let’s show you around.”

-

“Told you it was boring.” Harry leaned in close to Peter as they were looking around one of the labs, currently empty save for some benches and stools, a lone broom standing in the corner by the window.

Peter couldn’t help but smile, feeling like he was back in school again, whispering at the back of class and trying not to get caught by the reacher.

“It just needs some life breathed into it,” Peter grinned, looking over to Harry. “it has a lot of potential.”

As they finished off the tour, heading back to the reception area, Peter was feeling much more relaxed. This venture was something he could get properly stuck into, forget about everything else.

“So should we prepare for disappointment?” Norman asked, holding his hands in front of him. 

Peter met Harry’s eyes for a moment before looking at Norman, smiling as he held out his hand. “Absolutely not, we’d love to be a part of this project if you’ll have us.”

“We certainly will,” Norman gave his hand a firm shake. “I’ll have the contract drawn up ASAP.”

Once they were outside, walking over to the cars, Peter felt like he was ready to head back home, hoping to just finish off some work and then try to relax for the evening. 

“Great seeing you again Pete,” Harry gently patted his back as they said their goodbyes. “give my regards to Tony.”

Or not. 

-

Heading back up to the office, Peter pushed everything from his mind except work, giving Zoe a quick rundown of his day and checking in before heading into the office and sitting down at the desk, letting out a sigh as he heard a knock on the door a few moments later.

“Yes?”

He looked up as Happy walked into the office, closing the door behind him. “I’m really not in the mood for an argument right now, Happy, so..”

“Hey,” Happy held up a hand, a small smile on his face. “no argument. I promise. Just checking in, seeing how the meeting went.” 

“Fine,” Peter nodded, tapping his fingers against the desk as he leaned forward. “thank you. Everything okay here?”

“Running smoothly.” Happy nodded, a look in his eyes Peter didn’t entirely know what to make of. “I’ll leave you to it, just wanted to check in.”

Peter waited until he was gone before sitting back in the chair, letting out a sigh and looking at his phone. 

Still nothing.

-

It was later than Peter realised when he finally decided to call it a night, heading up to the penthouse and feeling more than ready to just sink into the bath and watch some TV in bed. He kept the thought in his mind, feeling more and more relaxed as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open with ease.

Until he walked into the living room and found Tony standing in the middle of it. 

“Oh my god..” Peter whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he walked forward, trying to convince himself he wasn’t dreaming. “Tony..”

“Pete.” The older man nodded, a serious look on his face.

“Were you just..” Peter frowned slightly, the hurt coming back to him full force. “not going to tell me you were coming back?”

“Well I don’t know,” Tony shrugged, folding his arms. “were you not going to tell me that apparently we’ve signed a deal with Oscorp?”

It was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things are looking up! Or not..🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know 😄❤️
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback on this story, it means the world 💛💛💛


	42. 4 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reunion isn't smooth sailing..

Peter stood still, taking a deep breath and walking over to Tony before gently resting his hands on his boyfriend’s folded arms. “I’ve had a long day, I’m beyond relieved that you’re back, and I really don’t want to get into anything we might regret.” He searched Tony’s eyes, pleading with him just a bit.

“You’re right,” Tony murmured after a moment, dropping his arms before wrapping them around Peter’s waist. “I’m sorry. You’re my main priority, and I’m not neglecting you again, I promise.”

“That’s all I ask.” Peter sighed softly, wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck. He didn’t even care about the hurt anymore, the pain. It wasn’t worth clinging on to. Now that he had Tony back he just wanted to start over, get back on tr-

“Tony? It’s ready for the implementation to..”

Peter looked over as he heard the voice, finding Bruce walking into the living room, adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat. “Peter.”

“Bruce.” Peter echoed. He slowly let his hands slide down Tony’s arms before looking back at him. “what’s going on?”

Bruce looked like a deer caught in the headlights as Peter stepped back from Tony, folding his arms and looking between the two of them. “Implement what?”

Peter caught the look shared between them, clenching his jaw slightly. “It might surprise you to learn this, but I haven’t actually managed to develop any telepathic abilities in your absence so..would you mind explaining what’s going on?”

Tony cleared his throat, looking over to Peter and folding his arms. “It’s..we’re this close to something that’s gonna help us with Ultron. It’s important.”

Peter let his arms fall to his sides, letting out a soft breath before pushing hand through his hair. “Right, of course..that’s..” He looked at Tony, offering a small, tired smile. “that’s your priority. It should be. I can wait a little while longer, I mean, you just got back so..”

Tony didn’t quite meet his boyfriend’s eye as he smiled, looking over to Bruce. “Are we ready to start, then?” He looked over to Peter, reaching out for his hand. “just give me an hour, then I’m yours.”

“Yeah,” Bruce nodded, lightly scratching his neck. “the  t issue degeneration should be ready to start after what we did this morning.”

Peter frowned as he looked over to Bruce before looking back at Tony, still holding his hand. “This morning? Have you..were you here..all day?”

“Technically..” Tony muttered, looking away like a scolded child as Peter dropped his hand. 

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Peter sighed, shaking his head and lightly flicking his tongue across his lip. “why would you, I suppose. That’s not something you seem to be fond of lately..”

“I’m gonna..” Bruce’s voice drew Peter’s attention, the doctor clearing his throat and taking a step back, gesturing to the lab. “head back in. Get the process started.”

“Aren’t you going?” Peter raised an eyebrow after Bruce had left, looking at Tony and trying to stay somewhat calm even as his entire body felt like it was burning up slowly. “I mean you’ve had the chance to spend time with me all day and you didn’t so..why start now?”

“Did I?” Tony met his eyes after a moment, his voice low. “really? Because as far as I know,  _ I _ was the one who was here today and  _ you _ were the one off schmoozing with Norman fucking Osborn.”

Peter clenched his jaw slightly, taking a breath and refusing to look away from Tony. “You  _ really _ want to push me right now? Do you think you have  _ any _ leg to stand on?”

When Tony didn’t respond after a moment, Peter took it as a silent confirmation, nodding and letting out a sigh. “I thought so. Goodnight.” He went to walk to the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest, almost shattering when Tony’s voice followed him.

“I just expected better from you.”

Peter stopped in his tracks, his blood running cold. He quickly steeled himself, taking a breath and exhaling it slowly, turning back around and trying to keep his voice level. 

“That’s rich. Coming from you.”

“Well I just think th-”

“No,” Peter held up his hand, pointing to Tony. “ _ you _ don’t get to talk. You had plenty of opportunities to talk to me and you didn’t.  _ I’m _ going to talk,” He gestured to himself before letting his hand fall to his side. “ _ you’re _ going to listen, because otherwise we’re going to get into a bigger argument and you know well that isn’t something you want. So you’re gonna zip it and listen to me.”

“Don’t talk to me like that,” Tony frowned, folding his arms as Peter felt his mood grow purely thunderous, clenching his fists and trying not to lose control of his emotions. “you have  _ no _ idea what it’s been like for me, how hard it’s been.”

Peter felt something inside him snap, his eyes growing dark as he glared over at Tony. “Tell me you didn’t just say that. Tell me you really, didn’t just fucking say that. It’s been hard for you? Oh I’m sure it has, yes, very hard. So hard you didn’t have two seconds to talk to me or tell me what was going on until the last minute, or let Nat be the one to keep me in the loop because it was  _ too hard  _ for you.”

“One time, Peter. One time and I didn’t ask her to that,” Tony snapped, Peter clenching his fists tightly. “what was I supposed to do? Stop everything and tell you what? That we failed? That something I created is out there somewhere causing rampant destruction? You’ve seen the news.”

“Oh I have,” Peter muttered, shaking his head. “I’ve seen plenty while you were off sulking in the middle of God knows where. It would’ve been so easy for you to just call or text, tell me you missed me, tell me you were safe,”

“And I suppose you were so innocent while I was gone?” Tony raised an eyebrow, moving his hands to his hips and glaring across at Peter. “sitting here pining for me, the whole time? No secret meetings with Osborn no? Setting up some venture or other behind my back?” 

Peter couldn’t stop himself from practically flying across the room to Tony, his blood pounding in his ears as he stood close to the man, his entire body on fire. “Don’t you fucking  _ dare _ try to insuinate I was going behind your back in  _ any _ way! I was doing my  _ job _ , the job  _ you _ were so keen that I have! Should I just quit? Because you don’t like how I’m doing things? Is that it?” He snapped, poking his finger at Tony’s chest. “Just because  _ you _ have some ridiculous schoolyard grudge against Oscorp doesn’t mean  _ I _ do. I’ve been running this company for five years, Tony, I’d like to think you trust me enough to know what I'm doing.”

“It doesn’t seem like it lately,” Toy muttered, taking Peter’s wrist in his hand, squeezing it just enough that it didn’t hurt but Peter couldn’t move. “you’re acting like a spoilt child.”

“Well,” Peter tugged his wrist slightly, glaring at Tony until he let it go. “you would know.”

He stood back, taking a deep breath and heading for the stairs, nothing stopping him this time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tony is being a complete and utter 💩 right now but I promise that in time they'll move past it, they just need to hash it out for a while 🤦
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, it was a bit..heavy, but necessary 😅🙈
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left feedback on this story it means the absolute world 💛💛💛


	43. 4 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony slowly come back together..

Peter was barely up the stairs when he started muttering under his breath, his blood boiling. He was furious, unable to think properly as he stormed into the bedroom slamming the door behind him. Tony had  _ no _ right to say those things, to even  _ hint _ that Peter was being secretive or deceptive in any way, when Peter was left to constantly worry about the man’s wellbeing while also running the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. But sure, Peter was the one in the wrong. Clearly. 

He flung the closet open, grabbing some grey sweatpants and a navy t-shirt, throwing onto the bed before heading into the bathroom and stripping off his clothes. Turning the shower onto a slightly higher heat than was comfortable, Peter stepped in and scrubbed himself a little harsher than usual, his anger refusing to dissipate. The thought of just taking a few days off and going to May’s entered his mind, seeming incredibly appealing. But he couldn’t, it wouldn’t do anything but lead to him sitting on the couch crying about Tony while May would be too kind for her own good and indulge his petulant behaviour. 

Tony could sleep on the couch, or in that damn lab of his. If he wasn’t already halfway to Australia by now, or creating another maniacal, pissed off robot hell bent on world peace/destruction/Peter didn’t even care anymore. This was as much Peter’s home as it was Tony’s, and he was standing his ground, staying put. 

After his shower, Peter took his time getting dressed, his stomach letting out a loud growl as he pulled his t-shirt on. He really didn’t feel like going back downstairs, but his stomach won out. He threw a red hoodie on, heading downstairs and slowing once he noticed that the living room was far from empty. Tony and Bruce were there, as were Steve, Thor and Clint. The other three people in the room Peter had never seen, a man and woman who looked a little younger than him, and..what seemed to be a man, though on closer inspection his head and hands were a deep red, a strange, glowing gem on his forehead. 

Peter made his way down the stairs, Thor’s voice catching his attention. “ Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side..”

They all kept talking, until Peter descended down the stairs and approached the group, folding his arms and stopping at the gap at the edge of the spread out circle.

“Dr. Banner,” He nodded at Bruce, pointedly ignoring Tony standing beside him. “Thor,” He smiled softly, looking over to the God. “Steve,” He turned to the blonde, before turning to the man and woman he didn’t know, raising an eyebrow. “Hello, welcome to our home, I presume that despite the fact I’ve never laid eyes on either of you, my darling boyfriend is very well acquainted with you. For that, I apologise.” 

The man snorted slightly, the woman raising a brow and looking at him intently as Peter turned his attention to the..man, letting his hands fall to his sides. “The same goes to you.”

“Peter,” Tony started, walking over to the younger man as the others converged together. “I know we-”

“Save it,” Peter let out a sigh, holding his hand up to keep the man at bay. “I didn’t mean to interrupt this Mensa meeting, I just want to get something to eat and go to bed.”

“I need to talk to you.” Tony folded his arm, his expression slightly softening.

“Not interested,” Peter shrugged, knowing he was being a complete child and not caring enough to stop himself. “I’ll leave you to it.”

He walked past the man, heading for the kitchen. As he was putting together a very simple grilled cheese, Peter felt a presence in the kitchen with him. “Just gonna stand there all night?"

“Thought you weren’t talking to me?” 

“I’m not,” Peter sighed, getting out a plate and filling up the kettle. “but it’s rude to ignore people.”

“You always were the polite one,” Tony walked over to the island, sitting at it as Peter glanced over his shoulder. “even..when we’re fighting.”

Peter flipped the grilled cheese before getting a mug and making some tea. “Well you started that, I really didn’t want our reunion to be so..” He shrugged, pouring water into the mug before setting the kettle down and looking over at Tony. “well, you were there.”

“I know,” Tony nodded, resting his arms on the table. “I was being an idiot, believe it or not.”

“I believe it,” Peter raised an eyebrow, his anger beginning to simmer a bit as he turned back to the stove. “it’s practically a default setting for you, after all. What’s going on out there?”

“It’s..com-”

“Complicated,” Peter nodded, dishing the grilled cheese on the plate before cutting it in half, carrying it and the tea over to the island and sitting down across from Tony. “I presumed as much. Who are..” He gestured to the door, picking up half the sandwich before sliding the plate across to Tony, the man smiling softly and picking up the other half.

“The two kids are from Sokovia,” Tony explained between bites. “long story short they have powers, played happy families with Ultron for a minute and now they’re on our team.” 

“Alright,” Peter nodded, taking a sip of tea. “and the..other..”

“Vision,” Tony nodded, setting down the last bite of the sandwich. “He’s..complicated.”

“On our side?” Peter asked quietly, looking over to Tony and setting the mug down.

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, a small smile on his face Peter matched after a moment. “I guess I should introduce you two properly, he’s..really something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually terrible, I do apologise 🤦
> 
> Age of Ultron is really kicking my ass and I'm struggling to find the motivation to continue it, I might just power through 🙈😅
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this mess, it's far from my best work but I just wanted to get it done 😅


	44. 4 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking up..💛

Having Tony leave again was difficult, but this was the last chance for the Avengers to take down Ultron one and for all. Peter hadn’t felt things were quite..back to normal between them before they left but he loved Tony more than anything, and he just wanted to have him home safely.

Then he’d rip him a new one for being such an absolute idiot.

Watching the news footage of Sokovia being attacked was difficult, Peter distracted himself from it with work, the venture with Oscorp moving forward quickly much to his relief. He spent most days over at the facility, spending nights working late in the office.

When he heard from Tony it was a relief greater than he’d known in a while, sitting up in the bed and holding the phone close to his ear, running through everyone’s names as Tony patiently listened, confirming they were alright, they were alive. 

Once Tony was finally home again, Peter set everything else aside to just grab any time with his boyfriend he could. They had the fight, though it was much calmer this time, to Peter’s relief. He got out all his frustration, hurt and upset, Tony apologising and insisting that it wouldn't happen again, he wasn’t going to let anything come between them again. 

-

A couple of weeks after the Sokovia attack, Tony was returning home from a trip upstate, more than ready for a relaxing date night, when he was met in the living room not by Peter, but by two women that scared him more than any alien, killer robot or anything else hell bent on killing him. 

“Hey,” He raised an eyebrow, walking over to the living room, sitting down on the couch across from the women. “what’s going on? Is it Peter? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” Pepper waved a hand, sitting back on the couch and placing a hand over her prominent bump. “he’s gone to meet Natasha, don’t worry. We just need to talk to you.”

“Alright,” Tony nodded, not feeling any better about the situation. “what’s on your mind?” 

“As you know,” May looked over to him, raising an eyebrow. “we love you and Peter, and we think that you two are such a great couple.”

“But,” Pepper looked over to the brunette before looking back at Tony. “we need to talk about how you dealt with..certain situations lately.”

“Okay,” Tony braced himself, feeling like a kid who was about to get a scolding. “go ahead.”

Once both women had aired their grievances with Tony’s handling of current events, he couldn’t deny that he’d deserved it. 

“So,” May sighed softly. “just don’t forget that he’s struggling too. You need to make time for him, remind him that you do care, that he’s important to you.”

“Well, I had something in mind actually,” Tony cleared his throat, looking over to the women. “to prove to him that he’s..” He smiled softly, running a hand through his hair. “he’s my world. Give him my sole attention, treat him the way he deserves.”

“That sounds promising,” Pepper smiled, May nodding. “what is it?”

-

“It’s perfect,” Peter smiled softly, resting his arms on the balcony wall, looking out over the city. The warm morning sun was casting a glow across the canals, the water rippling softly. “I love it here.”

It had certainly been a surprise, albeit a very pleasant one, when Tony announced that he was taking Peter away for a long weekend to celebrate the younger man’s birthday. In typical fashion, Tony hadn’t told Peter where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise. The journey had been very enjoyable, so much so Peter totally forgot about his annoyance at the lack of details about their trip, thoroughly distracted by Tony’s lavishing attention. 

Venice was beautiful, and Peter was thrilled at the thought of spending a weekend there, revelling in having Tony to himself for a while. They both turned their phones off (Tony had suggested it, much to Peter’s surprise and delight), focusing all their attention on each other. Peter couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so overwhelmed with happiness, embracing everything they did from lazy mornings whispering to each other in the sheets to spending the nights walking hand-in-hand down quiet streets, listening to musicians playing in the distance and losing hours in small, intimate restaurants, laughing and gently stroking each others hands under the table. 

“It’s beautiful..” Tony nodded, drumming his fingers on the wall, a smile on his face as he looked over to his boyfriend. “you know what, I’ll be right back.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder as Tony walked back into the bedroom. “What are you up to?” 

“This,” Tony gestured to Peter, moving his finger up and down with a smile. “it’s a photo waiting to happen. Let me just grab my phone, stay there, turn around.”

Peter rolled his slightly, his stomach rumbling lowly as he looked back out at the city, resting his head in his hand. After a few minutes of silence from Tony, he was getting frustrated. “Have you taken it yet?”

“Hold still,” The older man called. “I need to make sure this is perfect.”

Peter smiled softly, keeping his eyes ahead of him and trying to appreciate that Tony was just doing something sweet, ignoring his stomach’s desperate need for attention. “Alright Annie Leibowitz, whatever you say.”

Tony scoffed. “You’ll thank me when you break instagram.”

Peter laughed softly, shaking his head, moving to turn around. “I’m not a twenty-one year old girl Tony, do you really think I care abou-”

“Shh, look ahead,” Tony insisted, the younger man sighing and looking back out before him. “the lighting is perfect.”

There were a couple of ‘clicks’ of the camera, Tony muttering about needing more while Peter started to let his stomach win.  “Now can I turn around? I want to eat, I’m starving.”

“Okay, you can turn around.”

“Fi..nally..” Peter turned and felt like time slowed as he took in the sight of Tony in the doorway, down on one knee, a red velvet box in his palm.

"Peter Parker,” Tony began, smiling softly as he met Peter’s eyes. “you've been by my side for far longer than any sane person should be, you know me better than anyone else in the entire world, you know me better than I know myself. And yet for some reason, you  _ still _ choose to stay by my side, and I will never fully be able to understand why, exactly. "

Peter felt like he could barely breathe, his heart in his throat as he took a step forward. "Tony.."

"But you do,” Tony continued. “no matter what happens, no matter how idiotic I may or may not act at times, you stay right there, beside me. There's nothing in this entire universe that means more to me than keeping you by my side, and I can't promise it'll always be easy, and you may feel like just giving up on me which frankly, you probably should have done a long time ago because-"

"Tony," Peter closed his eyes for a moment, feeling tears stinging in them as he slowly opened them, a small, warm smile on his face. "are you rambling or is this going somewhere?"

"Little of both," Tony grinned. "so, what I'm trying to say is..Peter Parker, you are the most incredible person I've ever known in my life, I love you more than I ever thought possible. And while I may be totally undeserving of having you by my side forever, I would be honoured if you could do just that."

He slowly opened the box in his hand to reveal a delicate platinum band, oven around another, hints of light blue diamonds woven into it. 

“Will you marry me?"

Peter thought his heart might actually drop straight out of his body, his smile wider than he ever thought possible, tears streaming rapidly down his face as he nodded. Well, he hoped he’d nodded, he wasn’t sure, his entire body feeling like it was floating in the air. 

Tony grinned, standing up and wrapping his arms around Peter’s wait, one hand reaching up to gently wipe away the tears. “That a yes?”

“Yes,” Peter laughed softly, his hands gently touching Tony’s face, biting his lip softly. “of course it’s a yes.”

“Good,” Tony smiled, moving his hand to wrap his around Peter’s waist, holding him close. “I was a little worried you might say no, I mean it was po-”

“Tony,” Peter whispered softly, raising an eyebrow and looking into his boyfriend’s eyes with a smile. “are you if I’m going to marry you then we really need to work on the whole.. _ ‘babbling idiot’ _ thing.”

“Agreed.” Tony grinned, gently squeezing Peter’s waist and sealing it with a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I really don't know about this chapter but..Age of Ultron is basically finished! I just wanted to push forward and get it done, end on a high note 😁❤️
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to let me know, it means the world to get feedback as it's a big motivator to keep stories going when the source material is a little..lacking (but not anymore, hopefully, roll on Civil War!) 💛
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left kudos/comments/bookmarked, it's so so so appreciated and I can't thank you enough 🥰🥰🥰


	45. Forty Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a wedding, don't you think?

Peter had achieved a lot of success in his life, personally and professionally. He had a hugely successful career, a very comfortable life, wonderful friends and family, and a fiance he loved more than he ever thought possible to love anyone. There was very little he couldn’t do if he set his mind to it, and planning a wedding wasn’t about to beat him.

“For the last time,” Peter sighed, swiping through the tabet in his hands, going through the invite list, which was getting out of control. After announcing their engagement on social media, there was a huge flurry of attention, people already speculating about the wedding. They’d hired a professional wedding planner, with both of them being so busy they were relieved to have someone picking up most of their slack. we’re not having our first dance to ‘Back in Black’, Tony.”

Across the kitchen, Tony poured two cups of coffee, rolling his eyes slightly. “please, as if I would  _ actually _ seriously sug-”

“Or  _ ‘Thunderstruck’,  _ Peter held up his hand as Tony opened his mouth, walking over with the coffees. A small smirk forming on the younger man's face as he looked back down at the tablet in his hands. “you  _ know _ I hate Led Zeppelin.”

“..call off the wedding.”

* * * * * * * * *

“..and then the ice sculpture could go over here..”

Peter raised an eyebrow, exchanging a look with Pepper as they followed the wedding planner through the ballroom of the Plaza hotel. It was a Saturday afternoon in October, the wedding wasn’t until May but evidently a lot of the work needed to be planned beforehand. Tony was upstate, overseeing the final touches to the new Avengers compound, while Peter decided to take some time to actually see what was happening with their (the planner’s, actually) wedding preparations. Pepper had volunteered to come along, letting Happy and Morgan have a ‘daddy-daughter day’ while she had their two-month old son Noah with her, sleeping happily in the stroller.

“Ice sculpture, that’s..” Peter lightly scratched his neck, trying to find the politest way to describe his feelings on such a thing.

“Tacky.” Pepper found it for him.

The planner kept talking, the ideas getting bigger and grander by the minute. It was ‘Tony Stark’s wedding’ after all, a truly ‘miraculous occasion’, despite the fact that he’d been in a deeply loving committed relationship for  _ five years.  _ Peter was getting a little put off at the thought of all the grandness, all the expense (which they could easily afford but felt..unnecessary), the never-ending guest list..it didn’t feel right.

* * * * * * * * *

“Hey,” Natasha clicked her fingers, drawing Peter’s attention. “focus. We only have ten minutes left so the least you could do is pay attention.”

“Sorry,” Peter nodded, running a hand over his face and taking a breath. “just thinking about the wedding. It’s..getting a little out of hand.”

“I see,” Natasha rested her hands on her hips, her eyes focused on Peter. “well we’ll finish up here for the day,” She gestured to the gym behind her. “and then I think I might have an idea.”

* * * * * * * * *

As he was getting changed into his pyjamas, Peter looked over to where Tony was sitting up in the bed, looking at something on his phone, intensely focused.

“Can I steal your attention for two seconds?” The brunette asked, sliding on a simple red t-shirt. 

“Always.” Tony nodded, setting his phone down in his lap as he looked over to Peter. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about the wedding,” Peter sighed softly, walking over to the bed. “do you..do you think we need fifteen-hundred guests? A four-tier cake? An  _ ice sculpture? _ ”

Tony lifted his arm as Peter got under the blanket, the younger man cuddling up to him. “That depends I guess..”

“On what?” Peter frowned, looking over to the TV, some movie playing he didn’t feel like paying attention to. 

“What’s the ice sculpture of?”

“Seriously..” Peter rolled his eyes as Tony laughed, lifting his hand to lazily stroke the younger man’s curls. 

“The only thing  _ I _ need,” Tony looked down at Peter, a warm smile on his face. “is  _ you _ .”

* * * * * * * * *

As it grew closer to the big day, Peter felt more relaxed than ever.

The last few months had seen a lot of changes, and he felt incredibly fortunate that the majority were overwhelmingly positive. Career-wise, Peter had been incredibly busy between SI and the venture with Oscorp, which despite Tony’s absolutely not jealousy fuelled grumblings was proving to be hugely fruitful. 

When it came to more personal matters, things were better than ever, though there was one slight problem..

After deciding that their wedding was getting far too out of hand, both Peter and Tony decided to cancel all the plans, let the planner go and do things a little differently.

Well, Tony did. He insisted that he could handle it, plan the wedding of Peter’s dreams, the one he wanted and deserved. Not even the tiniest of clues were given, Tony insisting he wanted it all to be a surprise. 

So, Peter relented and put his total faith in Tony.

Which, he realised as he stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie, had been an incredibly wise move. 

The previous day, Tony had said it was time to leave for their wedding location, and as Peter realised they were getting further from the city he thought maybe it would be somewhere upstate, some fancy hotel..but no, it wasn’t that. 

When the car arrived at the airport he thought maybe they’d be jetting off to Italy, or France, Spain..but no, wasn’t to be the case.

The absolute  _ last _ place Peter ever thought Tony would take him for their wedding of all things, was.. _ Missouri _ . 

But, as it turned out, Peter didn’t mind all too much. They’d checked into a small, cute B&B, before Tony took him out for dinner at a local restaurant, where May, Pepper, Happy and the kids, Ned, Harry, Charlotte, and most of the Avengers greeted them.

It was one of the best nights of Peter’s life, surrounded by all the people he loved. He missed MJ, getting a phone call from her apologising that she wasn’t able to make it back in time but would definitely try and come home soon. 

Now, standing in front of the mirror in the cosy bedroom, Peter felt a nervous excitement bubbling up in him. He heard a knock on the door, turning around and letting out a breath. “It’s open.”

“Hey, it’s just me..” May smiled softly, walking in and closing the door behind her. “oh look at you..” She crossed the room, a wide smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around her nephew, giving him a tight hug that was gladly reciprocated. 

“You look beautiful,” Peter smiled as they parted their arms holding onto each other. “I love this,” He gently touched the thick grey streak elegantly flowing through the woman’s hair. “it suits you.”

“Well that’s good,” May laughed softly. “there’s only more to come.”

“You’ll look great with grey hair, don’t worry.” Peter smiled, his stomach feeling like it was doing somersaults. 

“I’m sure,” May grinned, gently stroking Peter’s cheek. “as for you..you look so handsome. I can’t believe this it, you’re really getting married..I don’t want to get too sentimental,”

“But you will.” Peter whispered softly, a smile on his face.

“But I will,” May nodded, her eyes glistening slightly. “it’s my right, so shush. I just wanted to tell you that I’m so proud of you, how proud of you I know Ben would be, your parents..”

“I know,” Peter murmured softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I wish they were here too. But we still have each other, right?” He smiled, wrapping his arms around his aunt, closing his eyes tightly. 

* * * * * * * * *

The wedding itself was taking place out at Clint’s farm, Peter discovered. There were lights strung up everywhere, just visible as the sun hung a little lower in the sky. Two huge white marquees stood in the sprawling fields, one more open for the ceremony the other more protected. 

It felt so..real, Peter’s entire body feeling like it was wracked with nerves as he sat in the back of the car with May, Natasha and Morgan, who was possibly the most excited person at the entire event. It made Peter relax a little at how excited she was, positively bouncing in her seat. She looked adorable in her red flowered dress, little gold accents on the shoulders, a golden flower crown perched delicately on her head, matching the golden clip in Natasha’s hair, the redhead in a similar red dress, looking beautiful. 

“Ready?” May smiled from beside Peter, gently squeezing his hand. 

He gave her a quick, reassuring squeeze, smiling as Natasha gently took Morgan’s hand, leading the girl out of the car.

* * * * * * * * *

The ceremony itself felt like it passed in a blur. Peter remembered watching Natasha and Morgan walk up the aisle, then before he knew it he was standing beside Tony, unable to stop smiling feeling like he couldn’t possibly be any happier as he promised to love him forever, sealing it with a kiss.

Afterwards, when they were called to get some photos taken, Peter thought his heart might actually drop when he was told that the photographer had cancelled at the last minute, so they’d had to get a replacement who was running late.

When said replacement turned out to be MJ (who, evidently had actually been there the whole time, getting all the ceremony photos), Peter was pretty sure he woke the dead with his scream, hugging her tightly for a solid ten minutes before she insisted that the photos had to be taken now if he wanted any at all.

The sun began to dip lower in the sky, and the reception officially began. Peter felt like was floating on a cloud the entire time, clinging to Tony’s arm like an anchor as they talked to people, laughed, heard the speeches,  _ gave _ speeches themselves (Tony’s was much wittier, warmer and romantic than Peter’s, who tried not to cry too much and just gushed about his happiness) and just basked in the glow of their own love and the love of everyone around them.

Before long, they were called upon for the first dance, and as the opening strains of  _ ‘Make You Feel My Love’ _ by Adele began playing, Peter felt a smile creep over his face, sliding his hands up along Tony’s arms before wrapping his arms around his husband’s neck. “Good choice.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Tony grinned, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger man’s waist, his eyes bright. “I was  _ this _ close to choosing  _ ‘Jump Around’. _ .”

Peter laughed softly, gently sweeping his fingers along the back of Tony’s neck as they gently swayed across the floor. “Well then  _ I _ would have been  _ this _ close to divorcing you.”

“Oh come on,” Tony clicked his tongue, smiling as he looked into Peter’s eyes. “we both know that wouldn’t happen.”

“You’re right” Peter murmured softly, letting his gaze fall to Tony’s lips for a moment before looking up to his eyes. “I’d get an annulment.”

Tony laughed softly resting his forehead against Peter’s and ghosting his lips over his husband’s. “Exactly.”

* * * * * * * * *

After a first dance he never wanted to end, Peter took May for a twirl around the floor before giving Morgan the dance he’d promised her earlier, once Tony had set the bar pretty high (he’d let her dance on his feet, Morgan proudly announced as Tony grinned), barely finishing one dance before being swept into another with someone else.

Later in the evening, after a dance/ _ performance _ with MJ and Ned to at least three of the songs they used to listen to in Peter’s bedroom when they were teenagers, Peter decided to take a break, finding Tony and Natasha sitting together and watching something on Tony’s phone.

“Hey,” The brunette smiled as he approached. “what’s got your attention so much you can’t dance with your husband?” From what he could hear the video seemed to be mainly a lot of shouting, a couple of  _ ‘Did you see that’s?’ _ and some cheering. 

“Nothing important,” Tony smiled softly, tucking his phone into his pocket before looking at Natasha. “right?” 

“Mm,” The redhead grinned, nodding as she looked at Peter. “maybe it will be one day.”

“I see,” Peter smiled, raising an eyebrow and looking to Tony, who held his hands up with an easy grin. “well unless that day is today..I wouldn’t say no to another dance.”

“Of course,” Tony smiled, giving Natasha a quick smile before getting up and taking Peter’s hand. “we got time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this wasn't a very full-on detailed wedding but I just wanted to give some snippets of it, seeing as there's really..nothing of this event in the actual MCU save for Tony & Pepper having the same conversation about their relationship for like..ten years until they have some off-screen wedding. Not in this story!
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, I loved writing it and I am looking forward to getting into Civil War offically 💛


End file.
